Into The Darkness - Book Two: Rest In Peace
by xXLadyRachelXx
Summary: Trapped in the Demon Realm, Bayley forms an allience with the mysterious Undertaker to take out Viktor and Konnor once and for all, after the two sadistic demons decide to take their cruel mental torture of the young woman a step further. Meanwhile in the Mortal Realm, Sami teams up with Dolph to find a way to track down the demons and bring Bayley back to her own world.
1. Present, But Not There

**Chapter 1**

 **Present, But Not There**

The double doors opened and hit the wall with a bang when the doctors rolled their newest patient towards the examination room.

Lying on the stretcher, Bayley looked like she was in a deep sleep; nothing could wake her up, not even the loud sirens of the ambulance echoing through the abandoned metro when help finally came. She was barely breathing, but she was still alive, that's what mattered the most. A transparent mask was attached to her mouth, allowing oxygen to flow through her lungs.

Sami was not far behind her, following the doctors with a worried look on his face. Some nightshift nurses and a few patients who were out for a short early morning stroll in the hallways of the hospital looked up when they noticed the redhead; their faces expressed shock when they saw his blood-covered face. Sami could almost throw up at this point, he was so nervous. Was Bayley going to make it to the next day, or was she going to die right there on the examination table? No, there must still be some hope, it had to be. Sami hoped from the bottom of his heart his girlfriend would wake a few hours later, but in the back of his head, he knew he shouldn't get his hopes up too much. But she was in good hands now, maybe the doctors could do something to wake her up. The redhead would never forget this night, no matter how old he would become.

Those 'men' with the shoulder pads had done this to her. He felt the rage boiling inside him; this was all their fault. They must have grabbed her and done God knows what to her to make her end up like this before disappearing into the night. Sami tried to keep his cool, things were already bad enough. Bayley could very well be the on the brink of death at this point, he should focus on her now. He had to be on her side, he swore he would protect her even if she was in this state.

'Excuse me, sir?'

A man in his mid-fifties with well-groomed grey hair and wearing a white coat tapped Sami on the shoulder; judging by the coat, he must be one of the doctors working here.

'Are you with the patient who is being brought in now?' he asked.

Sami hastily nodded. 'Yes, she's my girlfriend.'

'I see... But I must ask you to come along with me, I have to take a look at your head injury.'

'W-what? No, I can't right now, I have to stay with her!'

'Sir, she's in good hands now, my colleagues are going to do whatever they can to let her stay with us.'

The redhead decided not to protest any further, if he would refuse to come along with the doctor and put up a fight they would never allow him to go near Bayley. And the man was right, professionals were keeping an eye on her now.

'Alright then.' he tonelessly replied.

'Very well, come with me, please.'

Before he followed the doctor, Sami glanced once more at Bayley before she disappeared behind the double doors at the end of the hallway.

'Hang in there baby...' he thought. 'Please be okay...'

While sitting on the examination table in the smaller examination rooms of the hospital later on, the doctor injected Sami's forehead with anesthesia; the effect kicked in within seconds, a dumb feeling spread throughout the redhead's bloody forehead.

'How did this happen to you?' the doctor asked while putting the first stitch over the wound.

For a moment, Sami doubted about what he should answer. If he would tell this man he was roughed up by two 'men' who appeared out of the freaking nowhere of his bedroom and went after his girlfriend after they threw him across the living room with superhuman strength, he might think he was treating a lunatic.

'If only you knew...' the redhead mumbled.

The doctor cocked his eyebrow, but didn't ask anything else and continued to stitch up the wound; Sami had the feeling he was the kind of person who was just doing his job and couldn't give less than a shit about the stories of his patients.

He finally finished stitching up the wound, cutting the thread with a pair of strange-looking pliers. As a finishing touch, he cleaned the blood off Sami's face with a wet cloth, which disappeared into the trashcan afterwards. Luckily Sami didn't need many stitches. 'You can wait in the waiting room if you want.' the doctor said. 'One of my colleagues will tell you when they've got any news.'

'Thanks, doc.' Sami got off from the examination table, left the room and headed towards the waiting room. The most typical thing about hospitals was the fact that they all had the same smell; it was a mix between heavy bleach and sterilized instruments. It was the smell of sickness and deathbeds. Sami had never liked visiting hospitals, ever since he was a kid. All the hospital visits were for negative reasons, like the time he visited his dying grandpa before the day he died, whose suffering made tears well up in his eyes when Sami remembered him, even to this day. Or the time when he was brought in with a broken arm after he fell out of a tree while playing in the neighborhood, little Sami was in so much pain his childish mind convinced him he was going to die, which caused him to panic even more.

The redhead arrived in the somewhat dreary waiting room. There already were two people waiting there, a teenage boy and a woman in her forties. In the corner a water drinking machine was installed for the ones who wanted to drink their stress away with cold water. A few magazines lied on the small plastic table in the other corner, but Sami was pretty sure nobody was going to take a look in them. A clock on the wall reported the time, it was half past three in the morning. The redhead sat down on one of the plastic chairs. All that he had to do now was waiting and hoping there would be any news from Bayley soon.

Minutes went by, which felt like centuries to Sami. He hadn't spoken a word to the boy or the woman, and they didn't say anything to him either. No, they were busy with their own worries. Sami stared non-stop at the clock and watched the seconds tick by. It was hard to remain patient when it was unknown if your girlfriend was either still alive by this time or passed away. Sami wanted to storm into the examination room to demand to know what was happening to Bayley, but then the security would drag him away and throw him out of the hospital. While the whole city was sound asleep, Sami's world had turned upside down, forcing him to open his eyes about the supernatural. There was no way in hell those bastards who had hurt Bayley were possibly human. Then what the hell were they? Ghosts? Demons? Sami had seen in horror movies that demons were far more worse than ghosts. It would explain the superhuman strength of the 'men'. Sami had trained men in the gym that could easily lift the heaviest dumbbells there were in the gym, but they weren't strong enough to throw a full-grown man through a living room. 'Oh God, look at me...' he thought, shaking his head. 'This is fucking insane, there are no such thing as demons... but what are those fuckers then?!'

Half an hour had passed, but still nobody had shown up. Then finally, out of the blue, a doctor showed up; but much to his disappointment, it was for the teen boy. The doctor asked him to follow him, he got up from his seat and walked away. Fifteen minutes later, Sami's hope was tricked once more; another doctor asked the woman to come along. She took a deep breath and she was out of the redhead's sight with a few footsteps. Sami thought he was going to freaking lose it, he was so frustrated. When the fuck was somebody going to tell him what the hell was wrong with Bayley?! Another half an hour passed by and his eyelids had become so heavy he barely managed to keep his eyes open. He barely had any sleep this hellish night, and now that he was sitting alone here in this damn waiting room, he felt the sleepiness kick in. He closed his eyes and within seconds he fell asleep, but not before he had one last thought. 'Please be alright, Bayley...'

A tap on his shoulder made him wake up immediately. Finally, a freaking doctor had arrived!

'Is she alright?!' Sami asked, wide awake. 'Bayley Martinez, you have any news on her?!'

'Ah, you must be her boyfriend then.' the doctor said. 'My colleague told me to bring you the news.'

'What's the matter with her? Please, tell me!'

'Okay then... This might be quite upsetting for you, sir.' The doctor took a deep breath and breathed out. Oh damn... what was he going to say? Sami mentally prepared himself for the worst.

'I'm afraid I have bad news... It appears that your girlfriend has fallen into a coma. Right now we can't tell when she will wake up, we have ran a few tests but we can't tell what caused her current state. In the meanwhile, we will continue to examine her in the hope of finding something. And we must hope she will wake up from the coma any time soon.'

A coma... oh God... Bayley was in a coma.

Sami groaned and let his upper body lean forward, covering his face with his hands. His eyes were burning because of the tears which were spilling over his eyes. There was no telling if she would ever wake up, which made this whole situation even more nightmarish. He felt so powerless, he didn't have a clue of what he could possibly do to wake her up. And even if she would wake up... would she ever be the same person again?

'Can I call the police?' Sami asked, looking up. The whites of his eyes had turned completely red due to the tears and the lack of sleep.

'Why, sir?'

'I may have an idea who has done this to her...'


	2. Words Of An Idiot?

**Chapter 2**

 **Words Of An Idiot?**

'What kind of moron has to make a call at this goddamn hour?' Miz mumbled cantankerously.

'Looks like you're not a morning person...' Dolph replied, although this was not meant to be said jokingly.

They were sitting in the car, driving in the direction of the hospital. Dolph was driving, Miz was sitting on the passenger's seat sipping on a carton cup of coffee he got at the police station. It was almost six o'clock in the morning, but a call had come in that needed some inspection, since the Chief thought it kind of sounded suspicious. Not only Dolph was woken up by the call from Chief McMahon he got early that morning; Kaitlyn let out a soft groan when she opened her tired eyes. Quickly giving her a kiss on the forehead, Dolph told her to go back to sleep before dressing up. Waking up really early on some days was all part of the life of a detective. He had to call Miz two times before the lazy bastard finally picked up the phone, apparently he thought sleep was more important than solving a case. They met each other at the carpool parking lot, but Miz insisted to drop by the police station first to get a quick cup of coffee, God knows why he didn't want to go to a gas station to get some damn coffee.

But there was something about the phone call that quite unsettled the blonde detective...

McMahon said the call was from some guy whose girlfriend had ended up in a coma... and he claimed to know who did this to her. For some reason, the detective had a feeling that guy had something to do with it and tried to shift the blame on someone else. He had seen a few cases like that coming by; boyfriends and husbands who had killed their girlfriends and wives (and in one case, a mistress) in cold blood and blaming a burglar for their untimely deaths afterwards. Dolph wasn't born yesterday, he saw right through people when they were lying. Let's see if this guy was going to bullshit him or not.

They parked the car on the parking lot of the hospital. Dawn had put an end to the night, coloring the sky in a soft shade of blue. The frisky morning breeze made Dolph's skin crawl underneath the material of his shirt, he pulled up the zipper of his leather jacket. Miz was still cursing under his breath, took the last sip of his coffee and threw the carton cup on the concrete. Think about the environment, bro. The two detectives entered the hospital and walked towards the desk; the girl behind the desk was too busy typing on the keyboard of the computer to notice them. Who knows how many cups of coffee she had to drink to make it through the night.

Dolph cleared his throat. 'Excuse me.'

The girl blinked her eyes in surprise and looked up. 'Oh, yes, good morning. How can I help you?'

The blonde detective grabbed his badge from the breast pocket of his jacket and showed it to her. 'I'm detective Dolph Ziggler, this is my partner Mike 'Miz' Mizanin. We have received a phone call from a man who seems to know more about the cause of the coma his girlfriend is in now... Is he still here? In what room is his girlfriend staying?'

'Hold on, let's see...' The girl rapidly moved her fingers on the buttons of the keyboard while her eyes scanned the screen. 'Uhm... let's see... a comatose woman was brought in here a few hours earlier, so it has to be her. She is staying on room E-08, which is on the fifth floor.'

'Alright, thanks ma'am.'

Dolph walked away from the desk and headed towards the elevators, but it looked like Miz didn't have any plans on following him. He was still standing near the desk, looking at the girl with his trademark cocky grin on his face.

'So... if you don't have anything to do at your next shift, would you like to go out with a handsome cop like me?' he asked, obviously flirting with her. The girl awkwardly stammered, looking for words to say.

'Miz!' Dolph loudly hissed.

The partner groaned in annoyance and rolled his eyes. 'Fine fine, I'm coming!' But before he left the desk, he quickly mouthed 'Call me' to the astonished girl and giving her a wink.

'What the hell are you doing?!' the detective snarled when Miz caught up to him. 'We're here to do our job, not to hit on women!'

'Oh, just pull that stick out of your ass already, Dolph.' Miz replied. 'You just ruined my perfect chance of getting a date.'

'Do I look like I care? Just act like a professional until we leave, okay?'

'Whatever...' the partner mumbled.

They got inside the elevator. Dolph pressed the button of the fifth floor and the metal doors of the elevator shut. While they slowly traveled to the fifth floor, the blonde detective noticed from the corner of his eye that Miz had pulled his cell phone out of his pocket and was possibly texting somebody. Dolph wondered how the hell this guy had ever managed to graduate from police academy. Dolph was somehow convinced Miz had only wanted to become a cop so he could get the attention of women. 'Ettore, you have died too soon.' he thought to himself.

A shrill 'ping' noise filled the silence of the elevator when they reached the fifth floor. Dolph and Miz got out and walked through the long hallway, looking for room E-08. The only person that could be seen in the hallway was the janitor, who was already up early to mop the floors for those who would anxiously paid a visit to see their dying family member for one last time or get the results from a dreadful test. Room E-08 was on their left side, halfway the hallway.

'Let's see what this fella has got to tell us.' Dolph thought when they reached the open doorway.

The sight was quite saddening for any person to see; a young woman in her mid-twenties sporting a ponytail was lying in a hospital bed with a oxygen mask attached to her mouth. A heart monitor machine beeped rhythmically, reporting that her heartbeat was stable. Her left arm was hooked up to an IV pole, allowing a clear fluid inside a bag to enter her body through the tube attached to the needle in her arm. So young and already in a coma, her loved ones unsure about her fate... it was a nightmare for everybody. A young man that was no older than thirty years old was sitting next to the bed, staring at the young woman with teary eyes while gently squeezing her hand, as if he was trying to wake her up. Damn, if only it was that easy... Dolph knocked on the open door, catching the man's attention. He immediately got up respectfully.

'Good morning.' Dolph said, walking over to the man and giving him a firm handshake. 'I'm detective Dolph Ziggler, this guy right here is my partner Mike 'Miz' Mizanin. You are the one who made the phone call about your girlfriend?'

'Ah, yes...' the man spoke softly. 'I'm Sami, Sami Zayn. Her name is Bayley Martinez.'

From the corner of his eye, Dolph noticed Miz staring at the comatose woman. He hoped that he would keep his damn mouth shut and don't say anything about her looks.

'Do you want me to grab you some chairs?' Sami asked.

'No, it's fine, thanks.' The other bed in the room was empty, with two chairs for visitors next to it. The detective grabbed them and put them in front of Sami and sat down in one of them. Miz did the same.

'Okay...' Dolph said, grabbing his notepad and pencil out of his pocket, ready to write down the statement. 'Can you tell us what happened to her? Who did this to Bayley?'

The redhead took a deep breath and slowly breathed out.

'Look, I know this is going to sound crazy, but please gentlemen... I'm almost begging you... I am not making all of this up, you have to believe me. I'm not insane, this is really what happened.'

'Go on.' Dolph said, writing on the notepad.

'You see... for a couple of days, Bayley had been stalked by someone... or something, now that I think about it. I watched as she mentally broke down, the stalking was killing her.'

'Did she report the stalking to the police?'

'No, I think she was too scared to do that. It only got worse, she got more and more frightened. It got so bad that she fled her home last night and I allowed her to stay with me in my own apartment. And that's when... those things attacked me.'

'What things, mister Zayn?' Dolph asked, cocking an eyebrow.

'Before I'm going to tell you this... I'd like to say again that I'm not making this up. I'm not crazy, detective, all of this is true. When I was lying in my bed, two men appeared out of nowhere in my bedroom, wearing black leather shoulder pads and strange face paint. They threw me against the wall, I fought back as much as I could, but they were stronger. They did this to me.' Sami pointed at the stitches near his scalp. 'Then one of them lifted me by my throat and threw me through the living room. Bayley was lying on the couch. I told her to run before everything went dark... When I woke up, she was gone. I searched for her everywhere outside, then I found her in the metro. And now... well, I bet you can see her condition now. The reason why I called the police is because I need help, mister Ziggler! Please, you have to find those men! They were the ones who did this to her! Those men... they weren't human. They were more demonic...'

Nobody spoke a single word in the room, only the beeps of the heart monitor machine could be heard.

Dolph stared at the redhead, completely baffled. He stopped writing on his notepad until he reached the part about the men with the face paint. Out of all statements, this had to be the craziest one. He looked for words to say, but he couldn't find any.

Suddenly, a loud snigger broke the silence.

Miz shifted the sniggering into a roar of laughter, tears of laughter running down his cheeks as he laughed as hard as he could, as if he had just heard the best joke in the world. Dolph saw the blood draining away from Sami's face, coloring his skin pale. Yes, this story was weird as hell, but there was no reason to make fun of this guy. Jesus, his day was already bad enough!

'You honest to God believe we are going to buy that bullshit?' Miz said, after wiping away a tear with his pinkie. 'Come one bro, men with freaky face paint and shoulder pads appearing out of nowhere? I wonder what kind of drugs you took before you came up with this story.'

'But... I... I'm not...'

'You know what I think, mister Zayn?' Miz said with a smirk. 'I think you are trying to cover up the real story. You and your girlfriend got into a fight, she scratched your forehead and you decided it was a good idea to beat her into a coma. Dolph, this piece of shit is just wasting our time. Let's go.' He stood up from his seat and exited the room, not even bothering to look behind him to check if the detective was following him.

The blonde detective saw the utter shock on Sami's face, he looked like he was going to burst into tears at any second. God, he was just feeling downright sorry for him now. Yes, his story sounded like bullshit to him too, but to mock him with this cruelty was just disgusting. 'Please pardon me for my colleague, he's quite an... asshole, to put it lightly.'

'So you're not going to help me?' Sami asked with a trembling voice.

'I wish I could, mister Zayn, I really do. But judging from your head injury, I have the strong feeling that your mind is playing games on you. And the police can't really rely on statements of those who have suffered some kind of brain trauma. I'm sorry, mister Zayn... but now there's nothing much we can do about this.'

'I... understand...'

'Again, I'm truly sorry. I really hope for you Bayley will wake up any time soon.' The blonde detective got up and gave the redhead another handshake. 'Goodbye, mister Zayn.'

'Bye...'

Before Dolph left the room, he quickly glanced one more time at Sami. This right here was the textbook definition of a powerless man; leaning his upper body forward, he covered his face with his hands while sobbing inaudibly. Dolph had the feeling his story about men wearing shoulder pads appearing out of nowhere was complete nonsense... but at the same time, he couldn't help feeling a bit sorry for this poor guy.


	3. It's All A Dream

**Chapter 3**

 **It's All A Dream**

Staring at nothing in her bedroom, Bayley was unable to get any sleep. No matter for how long she closed her eyes in an attempt to fall asleep, it didn't make her any sleepier. No, she was wide awake... and for a good reason.

The reason why Viktor and Konnor were stalking was because she was a virgin... this was too freaky for words. So this is what it had all been about? All because they wanted to fight another demon so badly, they had to kill her for it? Bayley could barely wrap her mind around it. It was so twisted, so... evil. Who knows how many women like her Konnor and Viktor had killed in order to gain so much strength.

And now she was taken to this strange world... Bayley thought she was going to lose her mind.

After Undertaker had explained her why she was brought to the Demon Realm, he had offered to guide her back to her bedroom. It was like some thick mist clouded her mind when he made this offer, she was completely overtaken by shock. She followed him like a moth following a beacon when he got up the stairs, the border of his black trench coat nearly touching the steps. Bayley didn't speak a word, all thanks to the 'mist' shrouding her mind. However, she could feel that the temperature had dropped in the mansion now that Undertaker had appeared, going from chilly to downright cold. When they reached the bedroom door, the demon explained that even though residents in the Demon Realm could not feel hunger, they were able to feel sleep, suggesting her to get some sleep. Bayley had nodded, still not speaking a word. And in the blink of an eye, the mysterious host had disappeared. Surprisingly, after Undertaker vanished, Bayley noticed that the cold inside the mansion was gone; perhaps it was him who spread the chilliness. As soon as she had entered her bedroom, loneliness crashed onto her like an avalanche. She was all alone in this strange world, she didn't know anybody here, she had no idea whether Sami was alive or dead... she felt absolutely miserable.

While tossing and turning in her bed, hundreds of thoughts rushed through Bayley's mind all at once. Why did Viktor and Konnor want to fight Undertaker? What was awaiting her in the Demon Realm? Was Alexa already aware of her kidnapping? And what about her father...? Bayley suddenly regretted not telling her father about what was going on in her life, all because she was afraid of how he would regret if she told him what exactly was stalking her. She had always shared it with him whenever something was bothering her, ever since she was a kid. And now after she hadn't let her hear from herself for days and God knows what had happened to her body in the Mortal Realm... imagining her father being worried to death broke Bayley's heart.  
Then, another thought went through her mind. What if Undertaker was on Konnor's and Viktor's side? That thought made her heart pound in her head as the paranoia kicked in. Did he take her with him to the Demon Realm so it would be easier for Viktor and Konnor to hunt her down and kill her? She could feel a massive headache along with a stomachache coming up.

This was all so surreal... this had to be a dream.

In a matter of seconds, Bayley went from a state of shock into a state of denial. There were no different realms, it was only her world that existed. She must still be sleeping in her own apartment right now, this had to be a dream! It was one of dreams that were so realistic you would immediately think it was real life. When she would close her eyes, Bayley would wake up in her bed in her own bedroom, with her plush dog lying next to her. No Undertaker, no demons, no Viktor and Konnor. With thought delusional thought stuck in her head, Bayley tried to fall asleep once more. When she would wake up, everything would go back to normal. Sami would be alive and well, they would go out for more dates and Alexa would try to make her drink margaritas again. She closed her eyes and tried to relax, which worked. Slowly the ponytailed woman drifted off into slumber.

Everything was going to be fine when she would wake up...

Bayley let out a soft groan as the dim sunbeams of the morning sun shined through the window on her face. She slowly opened her eyes, sat up and looked around her.

Her heart made a little jump in joy.

She was back! She had woken up in her own bedroom, in her own world! The desk, the wardrobe, the photographs on the walls, even the pile of clothes in the left corner near the door that still had to be put in the washing machine, even the sheets of her bed, it was all left untouched, as if she had never left. Bayley smiled from ear to ear; it was a dream after all! Everything had gone back to normal, just like she expected. The ponytailed woman grabbed her plush dog and smiled at it. Normally it would look ridiculous if another grown woman would do that, but with Bayley, it just looked plain adorable.

'I'm back, Cupcake!' Bayley said to the toy. 'It was just one big nasty dream...'

Suddenly, she heard faint footsteps outside the bedroom. Bayley's smile briefly disappeared from her face; who could that possibly be? The footsteps got closer and became louder. Then somebody knocked on the door.

'Bayley? You awake?'

The smile returned to the face of the ponytailed woman. She recognized that voice like no other; it was Sami! He was alive!

The doorknob went down and the door opened. Sami was standing in the door opening with a big grin on his face, holding a tray with toast, a boiled egg, a glass of orange juice and a small vase with a red rose in it. The delicious smell of toast and bacon filled the bedroom. Bayley let out a little excited cry, her cheeks turning almost as red as the rose.

'Morning, babe!' the redhead said. 'I wanted to surprise you, so I got up earlier and made this for you!'

'Aww, thank you so much Sami!' This was the cutest thing a man had ever done to her, Bayley was so happy.

Sami walked over to Bayley's bed and carefully put the tray with all the food on her lap before sitting down on the edge of the bed. The ponytailed woman took a bite of the warm toast, the butter was melting on her tongue; yup, even the toast tasted real.

'How is it?' Sami asked.

'It's delicious, thanks!'

'Glad to hear that.' Sami leaned over and planted a kiss on Bayley's forehead. This was absolutely perfect, every woman would dream of a breakfast like this. The ponytailed woman took another bite of her toast.

'You know, Sami...' she said after swallowing down the piece of toast. 'I just had the craziest dream ever... Do you want to hear it?'

'Sure, I'm all ears.'

'I dreamt that I was being chased by two shadows who seemed to have a life of their own. You were in it too. You tried to protect from the shadows, but they knocked you out. I managed to escape and ran as fast as I could to escape the shadows, until I reached the metro. I fell from the stairs and hurt my ankle, those shadows were closing in on me. But then I was saved from this guy named 'the Undertaker', who took me to a world called the Demon Realm... I honest to God thought it was real, that dream was so realistic... But I'm glad I'm back to my own world now.'

The redhead frowned in confusion. 'Bayley... what are you talking about? You are still in the Demon Realm.'

The smile immediately dropped off Bayley's face. Her heart sank to her feet as a massive stomachache came up. She stared at Sami in disbelief, her eyes wide with shock and her blood draining away from her face.

'What...?'

Suddenly, two pairs of hands grabbed Sami from behind, roughly throwing him to the floor. Konnor and Viktor were standing at the end of the bed, chuckling sinisterly as they stared down at Bayley with a sadistic grin on their faces. The ponytailed woman loudly screamed in horror, throwing the tray off her lap, sending the plate and the vase crashing on the floor.

'We've finally got you, you little bitch...' Viktor spoke.

Then the two demons charged at Bayley, ready to grab her and kill her in the most painful way possible. She let out another scream and hid herself under the sheets, like little children did when they are scared.

That's when Bayley woke up for real.

She sat up with a loud gasp, sweat running down her temples, her heart beating like a jackhammer in her chest and her mouth dry like a desert. She wildly looked around her, immediately recognizing her surroundings. Viktor, Konnor and Sami were gone, disappeared into thin air.

She was back in the bedroom of the mansion.

It was morning, the bedroom was illuminated with the sunshine shining through the huge window. Somewhere in the far distance, Bayley could faintly hear a bird cheeping. Loudly panting and her arms trembling like crazy, the harsh truth slowly sank into the ponytailed woman. This wasn't a dream. This was real.

The Demon Realm was real, just like the Undertaker, demons and everything else in this mansion.

'Oh God...' Snapped out of her denial, Bayley leaned her upper body forward and supported her head with her hands.

Her father was wrong.

Monsters did exist... and apparently, supernatural worlds too.


	4. Broken

**Chapter 4**

 **Broken**

Now that the night had come to an end, the interior of the mansion didn't look that haunting anymore.

Bayley put on her clothes she had put next to her bed earlier that night and took one more look out of the window. Even though the sight was stunning in the light of the sun, it did little to ease her anxiety. She had to face it; everything that was happening now was real. Demons did exist, she was taken to the Demon Realm and Undertaker wanted her to fight along with him to take out Konnor and Viktor.

There was no way to deny this, this was the harsh reality.

With her eyes slightly stinging due to the lack of sleep last night, the ponytailed woman opened the bedroom door and closed it behind her as she exited. She didn't feel the cold; Undertaker wasn't here. Thanks to the sunlight shining through the window at the end of the hallway, Bayley had a better view on her surroundings. Everything here in this mansion was antique, worn down, or a mix between that, making her wonder how old the mansion was. Either way, it did fit the Undertaker somehow; mysterious and a bit frightening. Bayley wondered what else the mansion had to offer her. What was hiding behind the doors of the other rooms in the hallway? The ponytailed woman wasn't sure if she wanted to know that. She walked through the hallway when she finally realized how musty the hallway actually smelled. The frames of the old paintings and a small table with a vase containing a withered flower in it were covered in a thin sheet of dust, as if it hadn't been cleaned in forever. Perhaps cleaning didn't matter much for the Undertaker.

Bayley reached the end of the hallway and went downstairs, the steps creaking while she was descending to the lower floor. It was completely quiet in the old mansion, like she was the only person living here. But Bayley knew for sure she wasn't alone. Somehow she could feel the Undertaker's green eyes following her. It felt like his eyes had burned into her mind ever since their eyes met for the first time before her soul was taken away from her body. Even his eyes were inhuman. Bayley wasn't sure to thank her 'savior' for what he had done. From one side, he had saved her from Konnor and Viktor... but from the other side, he had practically kidnapped her; he had snatched away her soul and taken her to his own world, ripping her away from family and friends. Gratitude or resentment... Bayley didn't know what to choose.

Arriving at the lower floor, the young woman decided to take a little look around the mansion. There were a few doors on her left, east from the front door. What was behind the door that was the closest to the entrance? Bayley decided to give it a shot. She still couldn't feel the cold, meaning that Undertaker still hadn't appeared yet... but why did she still have the feeling she was being watched?

Bayley walked over to that door and opened it. She blinked her eyes in surprise when she peeked in. It was an empty dining room. She got inside and carefully closed the door behind her with a soft click. Even though the dining room looked old and dusty like everything else in the mansion, it sure did look fancy. The dining room was huge, there was a long wooden dinner table with four chairs aligned on the two longest sides. A bowl with fake fruit was on top of the table, covered in a layer of dust. A golden chandelier, almost identical to the one in the hallway, was hanging on the ceiling, waiting for somebody to light up the candles so it could shine with its warmest light one more time.

Suddenly, the air in the dining room turned freezing cold, making every hair on the back of Bayley's head straight up.

He was here.

The Undertaker had appeared out of nowhere once again and was sitting at the head of the table, staring straight at the ponytailed woman.

Bayley managed to suppress a gasp of surprise just in time. But she quickly gathered herself and decided to be as polite as possible. Polite... but on her guards.

'Good morning.' she said, sitting on the opposite side of the table, facing him.

'We're you able to get some sleep?' the demon asked.

'Barely.' Bayley replied curtly. She was convinced Undertaker had been following her all this time somehow.

'I can imagine why. I suppose you are still upset about what happened yesterday.'

'You could say that again...'

Bayley let out a soft sigh. 'This is real, isn't it? I'm really in a different world...'

Undertaker nodded. 'Yes, this is indeed real. However, I must ask you one thing, young lady... What is your name?'

'My name is Bayley.'

'Bayley? Hmm... I see...'

'Is there something wrong with that?'

'No, not at all.'

The young woman stared at the table leaf, twiddling her thumbs as if she was deeply lost within her own thoughts. There was something that was bothering her a lot, it was one of the many things that kept her awake last night. It was Sami's wellbeing. Bayley had no idea whether he was alive or dead, the insecurity was suffocating her. She wanted to know so badly if he was okay; just catching a glimpse of him would be enough. Maybe Undertaker could help her with this...

'Undertaker...' Bayley asked, looking up. 'Can I ask you something?'

'What is it?'

'Is there some kind of way to look in my world? Do you know what I mean? You see, there's somebody I care about with my whole heart out there who was attacked by Viktor and Konnor before you took me here. I just want to know if he's okay, please, it's all I'm asking for!'

'There is a way to look into the Mortal Realm, actually.'

'Wait... there is?' Bayley blinked her eyes in surprise.

'Yes. Follow me.'

Undertaker got up from his seat and gestured to the ponytailed woman to follow him. She was a bit hesitant at first, but decided to go after the mysterious host; if he would try to do anything to her, she would run as fast as she could. Bayley and Undertaker left the dining room and crossed the hallway, walking to another door on the other side of the hallway. For a little moment, Bayley doubted whether Undertaker did exactly have some sort of device to look into the Mortal Realm or not. What if Konnor and Viktor were awaiting her in the other room, or maybe even something or someone even worse than them? It could be the paranoia creeping up again, but who knows what kind of things were awaiting Bayley in this strange world. And even if some supernatural being was ready to pounce at her once she was inside that room, Bayley would fight back and run as fast as she could.

'How... exactly can I look into the Mortal Realm?' the ponytailed woman asked.

'You will see.' the demon replied without turning his head to her.

Undertaker opened the door, allowing Bayley to glance inside the room. This mansion was apparently full of surprises. The entire room was empty, most of the wallpaper had been torn off the walls while the hundreds of pieces of dust looked like they were illuminating in the sunlight that was shining through the only window the room had. The only pieces of furniture were a wooden cabinet with a golden candlestick on top of it and, most interestingly, a mirror.

A mirror that would catch anybody's eye.

It was a large mirror with a silver elegant frame that was attached to the left wall, not far from the window. A person would see his full reflection in it if he wanted to take a good look at himself. The mirror was nearly magical, it was gorgeous; what was it doing in an old mansion like this? Could it be that it was really enchanted?

Undertaker guided the ponytailed woman into the room; after a few steps, they were both standing in front of the mirror.

'What's this?' Bayley asked. 'What am I supposed to do?' In the reflection, she saw Undertaker standing behind her and staring at her. God, she could feel his eyes burning into her, it almost send a shiver up her spine.

'In the Mortal Realm, people use mirrors to gaze upon their vanity. But here, in the Demon Realm, they can be used to look into other worlds.'

'Wow... really?' If she would ever return to her own world again, Bayley would probably never look the same way at mirrors again.

'All you have to do is touch the glass, say who or what you want to see and the mirror will show you what you wish to see.'

Sounded simple enough. But it turned out the mirror was indeed enchanted... for some reason, it didn't make Bayley exactly feel comfortable. Was there a catch? But at the same time, she wanted to see if Sami was alright... Bayley decided to give it a shot. She carefully let her fingertips touch the cold glass of the mirror.

'I want to see my boyfriend Sami.' she said with a clear voice.

She waited to see the face of her beloved redhead... but nothing happened. The reflection of her with the demon remained.

'What's wrong?' the ponytailed woman turned around with a confused look on her face. 'Did I do some-'

'Look.' Undertaker interrupted her, pointing at the mirror.

Bayley looked back to the mirror and gasped in wonder. Dear God... their reflections was slowly fading away, she could clearly see it! She watched as their reflections disappeared and made place for new shapes. It looked kind of hazy, Bayley had to slightly narrow her eyes to get a better view. Slowly the shapes started to become more clear to her. She could see a humanoid shape with what looked like red hair... that had to be Sami! Bayley's heart made a little jump; was he still alive? The shapes took a better form and finally she could make up what she was seeing. Judging by the surroundings, it looked like a hospital room. There was a heart monitor machine, a few empty hospital beds and a window with a faint view on the city. And there was Sami, sitting next to one of the beds. Bayley smiled from ear to ear as tears of happiness welled up in the corners of her eyes.

'Sami!' she exclaimed with a soft voice. Thank God, he was alive! The blood on his face was gone, the wound on his forehead must've been taken care of.

But the smile quickly disappeared from Bayley's face when she took a closer look on her boyfriend's face. The area around his eyes were red, as if he had been crying for hours. His face was so pale... how many hours of sleep did he have last night? He was staring at a person lying in the bed.

The young woman's heart skipped a beat.

Oh God...

It was her who was lying in that bed! It was her body that was left behind when Undertaker had taken her soul with him to the Demon Realm. She was sound asleep, an oxygen mask was attached to her mouth and she was clad in a hospital gown. Undertaker had said that she wasn't dead, so could it be that she was... comatose? Sami was saying something, but she couldn't hear what he was saying. He got up from his seat, leaned over and pressed a kiss on her forehead. A tear could be seen trickling down his cheek.

'No...' Bayley whispered in horror, shaking her head. 'Sami... I'm here!'

'Don't waste your voice.' Undertaker said. 'Even though you can see him, he can't see nor hear you too.'

'No... no no no, it can't be!' Bayley replied, her voice breaking. He had to hear her, he had to know she was trapped here!

'Sami!' Bayley started to hit the glass with her fists, panicking more and more by the second. 'Help me, I'm here! Help me, Sami!'

'Bayley, stop that!' Undertaker snarled.

But the ponytailed woman was deaf for his words, it was her panic that deafened her. She hit the glass harder as tears ran down her face. 'Sami!' she screamed hysterically at the top of her lungs. 'I'm right here, in the Demon Realm! Can you hear me?! Please say something, Sami! Sami!'

The fragile glass couldn't take the blows any longer.

It took one more pair of hits before the mirror cracked into hundreds of pieces. The vision immediately disappeared. Some pieces of the mirror fell out and hit the ground, breaking into even smaller pieces. A sharp pain traveled through the sides of Bayley's hands; when she looked at them, she noticed to her horror that they were completely covered in bloody cuts. The blood trickled down her arms, traveling to her elbows and dripping to the ground, coloring some of the small pieces of glass red.

'You fool!' Undertaker bellowed furiously. His loud voice made Bayley's cringe. 'Look at what you've done!'

Looking up, the young woman saw what damage she had caused. The mirror was completely shattered, making it impossible to see into other worlds. She had accidently destroyed the only thing that connected her with Sami... oh God, what had she done?!

'Give me your hands!' the infuriated demon snarled. He roughly grabbed Bayley's bloody hands, slightly increasing the pain in the cuts. She felt a little electric jolt in her hands; quickly afterwards, the pain in her hands had miraculously vanished.

While she was sobbing uncontrollably, Bayley didn't know what hurt the most.

The pain in her hands or the fact that Sami was unable to hear or see her.


	5. Change Of Plans

**Chapter 5**

 **Change Of Plans**

On the other side of the city, the abandoned apartment complex looked like a towering haunted house to most people who were walking by. Wooden beams, wheelbarrows and various tools were strewn everywhere around the empty building, like the construction workers had suddenly stopped with whatever they were doing, got up and left the building site, only to never return again. There was nothing to prevent outsiders of trespassing the building site, giving thrill-seeking teenagers, young couples who desperately wanted privacy to have some fun together and people who were looking for possible paranormal activity free access to go in and out of the apartment complex whenever they wanted.

And apparently, infuriated demons were able visit this place too.

Seething with anger, Konnor drove his fist through the concrete wall in full force with a furious roar. Small pieces of concrete was send flying everywhere. It was the sixth hole the tall demon had punched in the wall, but it didn't do anything to ease his frustrations. Fresh abrasions decorated his fists, but he didn't feel the pain. Leaning against another wall on the other side of the empty apartment, Viktor watched Konnor launching his fist into the destroyed wall once more with a rather uninterested look on his face. He looked a lot more calmer compared to his companion, but that wasn't true; deep inside, he was boiling with anger. Unlike Konnor, he didn't abreact his fury to inanimate objects. No, he needed something alive to destroy. Something with a beating heart. Killing that worthless rat a while ago in that abandoned house after Konnor almost killed Bayley did not only soothe his anger, but also fulfilled his sadistic need of watching someone or something being in pain. Inanimate objects couldn't express or feel pain, which was a lot less satisfying. Having full control over the pathetic life of a human or animal, God, it gave him such a delightful rush. But unfortunately, he couldn't find any rats or other small animals (or a human, for that matter) in this shithole to slowly kill in the most agonizing way.

'We should've killed her earlier when we had the chance, Viktor!' Konnor shouted, turning around to face his companion. His face was slightly reddened with anger. 'We had to kill her on the moment we saw her!'

'How could I have known the Undertaker would take her?!' the ponytailed demon snarled. 'The only reason why he would ever take her is because he saw it in her!'

'What do you mean by that?'

'Have you forgotten? Undertaker has the ability to share his powers with those who are able to carry them. He can see it in their aura, Konnor. He must've seen the competence in her, I'm sure as hell of it.'

'Damn it...' the taller demon hissed. Out of all the women they had hunted down, she had to be the one who was worthy of fighting alongside the demon they wanted to fight more than anyone else, human or demon. Undertaker was and would always remain a legend in the Demon Realm, no other demon had an equally terrifying reputation as he had. While some demons bowed down in respect for him, others stepped back in fear; he was both dreaded and respected. Nobody would ever become as legendary as the almighty Undertaker.

Which is why Viktor and Konnor wanted to fight him... and kill him.

This was the exact reason why they had left such a long trail of dead virgins in their wakes. The two demons feasted on their life forces to gather enough power to battle the infamous demon, kill him and go into the history books of the Demon Realm as the demons who managed to kill the Undertaker. The word would spread all over the Demon Realm like a wildfire in a dry forest for sure. Viktor could already imagine it all. He and Konnor would finally get the respect from the other demons they deserved. They craved for the power, the respect, the fear, the fame... they wanted it all! They were going to be the ones to defeat the Undertaker, no other demon was worthy of doing what they were going to do!

Konnor and Viktor were going to be the most legendary demons in the history of the Demon Realm.

'We are wasting our time.' Viktor said. 'By this time, he could've already shared his powers with that bitch. We should not fight, not at this moment, at least.'

Konnor breathed out through his nose and nodded. 'Yeah, you're right about that.' Who knows, perhaps Bayley had already learned how to even handle her new powers at this point; there was no doubt about it that she wanted revenge against the monsters who had turned her life into a hell. But did the tall demon regret that? No, of course not. He loved striking fear into that bitch's heart. And even if she had already got her powers from Undertaker, he still wouldn't be afraid of tormenting her. However, Viktor was right; at this point, they were wasting their time. If they wanted to defeat Undertaker, they had to do it as quick as possible.

'You got any plans of how we're gonna do it?' Konnor asked.

'Will you keep your mouth shut for a second, Konnor?' Viktor replied. 'I'm thinking.'

The tall demon rolled his eyes in annoyance; Viktor would better come up with something quickly. He had always been the brain of the team; Konnor was more of the powerhouse type.

'We cannot attack her right away.' the ponytailed demon said. 'She now knows how we look like, she will attack us immediately.'

'Good point.'

'But... there is a way, though.'

'What do you mean?'

'Think about this, Konnor. We have seen it for ourselves for the past days. Bayley was only able to feel at ease when she was around her pathetic friends. If she would see one of them in the Demon Realm... she would let her guards down immediately!'

The tall demon grinned and nodded. It made perfect sense! 'Yes... yes, it's perfect!'

'We can capture one of her friends, either the blonde woman or that weak redhead who tried to fight us, brainwash that fool and let him or her practically do the dirty work for us. With a bit of luck, he or she can take out Bayley. When's she's defeated, Undertaker will have nobody on his side to fight us, giving us the advantage!'

'Fucking perfect, Viktor!' Konnor replied with devious glee. 'But which one shall we take with us?'

'Hmm...' That was a good question. Just like Bayley, that redhead named Sami knew how both demons looked like. Who knows, perhaps he had already started his feverish hunt for them. However, there was one friend of Bayley left who had never seen them in their human form...

It was the petite woman with the platinum blonde hair and blue tips.

Ah yes, Konnor still remembered her clearly. She was quite a tasty treat with her petite slender body with well-shaped hips, pretty face and unique hair. The tall demon grinned from ear to ear; there was no doubt about it that he was going to have fun brainwashing her.

'How about the woman?' he suggested.

Viktor nodded. Yes, she was perfect to become their puppet. It had been such a long time since they brainwashed a woman... and the ponytailed demon noticed he was already looking forward to doing it to her.

'Let's attack when it's dark. Like that, we can use the darkness to our advantage and attack her when she expects it the least. That little bitch can hide wherever she'd like...' Pausing for a little moment, Viktor curled the corners of his mouth into a dark grin. ' But she won't be safe for a second. We will find her with ease.'

Konnor sinisterly chuckled and glanced outside to the sky through the empty window frame. It was still morning, but the tall demon couldn't wait for the sun to go under.


	6. The Hunt Begins

**Chapter 6**

 **The Hunt Begins**

There was nothing more relaxing than taking a hot shower after a nice breakfast.

Running her fingers through her hair, Alexa rinsed the shampoo out of her platinum blonde tresses, the foam falling on the tiled floor of the shower cabin like thick snowflakes. While brushing off the foam on her bare arms with a washcloth, the petite woman wondered how Bayley was keeping up. It was so good to see her happy when they talked to each other by Skype; she sounded so different, so much more cheerful. Hopefully she could sleep better at night now, she really deserved it after everything she had been through. Bayley was such a sweet girl, she should've never been through something horrific as the stalking. It hurt Alexa so much to see her like that, it really did. But now that the stalking was over, she would finally be able to get her life back and move on. Who knows, maybe tonight Alexa could take her and Sami to a club or bar to celebrate it; a good way to kick off the weekend.

The petite woman stood underneath the wet spray of the shower until the hot water ran out. She opened the clouded sliding door and got out of the shower cabin. She grabbed a towel out of the cabinet and dried off her body and hair. After she was finished drying herself off, Alexa put on a comfortable night gown and a light blue bathrobe; she loved wearing comfortable clothing after a nice shower.

Alexa exited the warm bathroom and walked back to the living room. From the corner of her eye, she spotted her cell phone lying on the dinner table; the red light near the screen was blinking, apparently she had missed a call. The petite woman picked up her cell phone and checked who had tried to call her. It was Sami... what did he want to talk about? Alexa pressed on his phone number and held the cell phone against her ear. Could it maybe be about Bayley?

'Hey...' Sami said on the other side of the line.

Almost immediately, Alexa realized there was something wrong. His voice sounded sad, this was nothing for him. Something must've been very wrong... It didn't make the petite woman feel at ease at all.

'Hi Sami, I saw that you tried to call me... What's the matter?'

For a little moment, there was nothing but silence on the other side. It only increased the uncomfortable feeling in Alexa's stomach. 'Come on Sami, say something...' she thought to herself. Just then, Bayley immediately entered her mind; oh damn, did something happen to her? The little hairs on the back of Alexa's neck were standing straight up.

'It's Bayley.' the redhead suddenly said with a nearly emotionless voice.

'What...?!' the petite woman exclaimed.

'She is in the hospital, she's in a coma. She was attacked again last night.'

Alexa widened her eyes in horror, covering her mouth with her hand as her stomach felt like sinking to her feet. 'No, oh my fucking God!' she cried out. This wasn't happening, this had to be a nightmare! Her best friend was in a coma, this was fucking terrible! Just when everything seemed to be alright, just when everything looked like it was over... this had to happen.

'How did that happen?!' Alexa was on the verge of breaking in tears at this point.

'She had fled out of her apartment and I offered her to stay with me for the night... but then those bastards knocked me out and got their hands on her. I found her in the metro afterwards.'

The image of Bayley's happy face on the webcam would haunt Alexa for all eternity, but what haunted her more was the mental image of Bayley's unconscious body lying all alone in the dark metro. 'You said she was in the hospital... which one? I have to see her.' she asked with a trembling voice.

'St. John Hospital. The next visiting hour will be at one o'clock, I will be there too.'

'Jesus Christ, Sami... I can't believe it...'

'Me neither, Alexa. Me neither. God, this is so fucked...'

'Okay, so I will see you there at one o'clock then?'

'Yes. Bye, Alexa.'

'Bye.'

After she cancelled the call, the tears immediately came. Shaking her head in horror and disbelief, Alexa sobbed almost inaudibly. Bayley in a coma... it was impossible to wrap her mind around that. So many frightful questions were rushing through her mind, yet she was unable to answer them all. But there was one question that scared her the most.

Would her best friend ever wake up again?

* * *

St. John Hospital wasn't too far away from where Alexa lived, it was a ten-minute walk through the streets and a part of the city park to get there. But the pleasant temperature outside and the lively atmosphere in the park didn't do anything to ease Alexa's mind.

She didn't even eat her lunch, she was so nervous. Her hair hadn't even fully dried yet, but right now she didn't give a single damn about that. Her mouth was dry and her heart was pounding in her head as the petite woman quickly walked to get to the hospital as fast as possible. She could already imagine it all; Bayley lying in the hospital bed with all kinds of machines attached to her body, struggling to stay alive and stay away from the bright light at the end of the tunnel. It made her stomach clench together, but thankfully she didn't throw up. Life continued for the people in the park who were eating ice cream and having pick nicks with friends or family, but for Alexa, it felt like both life and time had stood still. This was no good atmosphere for visiting your comatose friend in the hospital, it was nearly absurd.

Alexa reached one of the few exits of the city park, all she had to do now was to cross the busy street to get to the hospital. The petite woman anxiously bit her lower lip when she waited for the traffic lights to turn red so it would be safe for her to cross; she practically sprinted over the street when the cars stopped in front of the red lights.

The parking lot of St. John Hospital was half-full, the cars either belonged to visitors, personnel or people who came here for an examination or the result of the latter. From a distance, she saw an all too familiar redhead waiting for somebody near the entrance of the hospital. Alexa called out Sami's name, making him look up. When she got closer, she noticed how awfully pale Sami's face looked, as if he had seen all the horrors his young life had to offer him. Her heart cringed; he had practically changed into a person she had never met. The Sami Zayn she knew was a jolly, fun-loving guy who enjoyed life to the fullest, the kind of guy you would love to have a good pint of beer with. But now, all thanks to those goddamn shadows, he had turned into a shadow of his former self, a pile of sadness-filled mush.

'Sami...' Alexa said when she finally reached him, pulling him for a comforting hug. The redhead let out a loud sob, but he didn't cry; he had ran out of tears to cry by a long time now. 'I'm so sorry... this is so awful...'

'Yeah...' Sami softly spoke, letting out a sigh. 'This sucks on so many levels...'

Looking up, the petite woman was almost startled when she had a way closer look on Sami's face. His eyelids were puffy and red, as if he had been crying all night long. God, he looked horrible.

'Let's get inside.' Alexa said, letting go of the redhead. 'It's one o'clock.'

Sami nodded. Together, they walked to the entrance of the hospital and entered. A few people were standing in line in front of the desk, two kids were visiting the gift shop to find a little gift for their sick friend or family member while a woman was sitting in the small restaurant, but didn't take a bite from her baguette due to her nervousness. Luckily Sami and Alexa didn't have to wait in the line, since the redhead already knew in which room Bayley was staying. Room E-08. They headed towards the elevators and waited for their elevator to go down to their floor, which took quite a while. Finally the metal doors slowly opened in front of them; Sami and Alexa entered the elevator. There were already three people in there, exiting as soon as the two friends got in. Sami pressed the button for the fifth floor.

'Do you know when she will wake up?' Alexa asked while they traveled up. She had to know it, hoping from the bottom of her heart he would have an answer.

'I don't have a clue, okay?!' Sami snapped. But he quickly regretted saying that when he saw the shocked look on the petite woman's face. Damn it, he shouldn't act like that to her, she didn't deserve this; Alexa was suffering just as much because of this situation as he did. The redhead cleared his throat and stared down in shame. 'Sorry.'

Alexa let out a sigh, but didn't say anything back. For some reason, she understood him.

The elevator arrived at the fifth floor and the doors opened. Sami and Alexa got out and walked through the hallway. Voices could be heard coming from some rooms, either from visitors and patients or the television. Halfway the hallway, Sami pointed his thumb to a room on his left.

'It's here.'

Mentally preparing herself for what she was about to see, Alexa entered the room. Her heart broke into a million of pieces. It was almost just like she pictured it; Bayley was lying in the hospital bed, her arms hooked on two different devices with her eyes closed. It was past lunch time, it was most likely that the nurses had already fed her with gavage so she wouldn't go hungry when she would wake up... if she would ever wake up.

'Oh my God...' the petite woman whispered in shock. She walked over to the side of the bed and stared at her comatose friend. She could feel new tears well up in her eyes, but she managed to hold them back.

'Here, I got a seat for you.' Sami grabbed one of the seats near the empty bed and put it next to Alexa.

'Thanks, Sami.'

The redhead grabbed a seat for himself and sat down next to his friend. They both didn't say anything for a while, they just stared at Bayley who didn't even hear them coming in. Alexa had grabbed her hand and gently squeezed it, in the hope she would wake up from this.

'What the hell happened to her, Sami?' she asked with a trembling voice.

'I was going to pick up some food when I saw her running down the streets.' Sami said. 'I got her to my place. There she told me the shadows had attacked her once more and I offered her to stay with me for the night.'

Normally Alexa would jokingly ask if something else happened between them, but right now was not a good timing at all. 'Then what happened?' she asked.

'When we went to sleep, two men with weird face paint and black leather shoulder pads appeared in my room. It had to be those shadows, I'm sure as hell about that. I tried to fight them off, but one of them knocked me out cold. When I woke up, Bayley was gone. I searched for her everywhere, that's when I found her in the metro. And now... well, she's right here.'

'Face paint? Shoulder pads?' Alexa blinked her eyes in confusion. 'You mean that... those shadows had some sort of human form?'

'I guess so... They didn't look human at all to me. And they were strong enough to do this.' The redhead pointed at the stitches near his scalp.

'Jesus...' Alexa whispered in awe.

'I know it were those freaks who did this to Bayley, Alexa. I called the police and two cops came over. I told them everything, but it was useless. One of them thought I was some junkie who had beaten Bayley into the coma, the other cop was more polite but didn't believe me either. He said that because I had sustained a head injury they couldn't take my story seriously.'

The petite woman shook her head in disgust, this was so unreal; her faith in the police had dropped massively after hearing this. 'Goddamn it... That is just sick.'

'But I don't need them. I'm going after those bastards myself.' There was a change in Sami's voice. It didn't sound that emotionless anymore; it was more resolute. Sami slightly nodded, determined about his goal. 'I'm going to make those fuckers pay for what they have done to Bayley. I swear to God and everything else that is holy, Alexa, I will find them, even if I have to travel to the farthest point of the world for that. I'm going to get Bayley back and there's nothing that will stop me from doing so.'

Sami meant every damn word he just said. He didn't care what he had to do, what he had to go through, how much pain he would suffer, nothing or nobody would stand in his way from hunting down those demonic bastards and make them pay for what they had done. He was going to bring back Bayley, even if he had to go through Hell itself if he had to.

The hunt was on.

'Then I will help you.' Alexa replied. 'I believe you, Sami. And I too want to get Bayley back, no matter what!'

She put her hand on top of Bayley's shoulder. 'Do you hear that, Huglife? We are gonna get those bastards and find a way to wake you up. We promise.'

Sami nodded. 'Damn right.'


	7. Snap Out Of It

**Chapter 7**

 **Snap Out Of It**

Her behavior was just beyond childish, he couldn't stand it. As the seconds ticked by, Undertaker's patience was put to the test... and he was about to reach his boiling point.

After that foolish Bayley had destroyed the mirror and he had healed her bloody hands, she ran away from him like him as if he was going to harm her while sobbing hysterically. She was even lucky enough he was willing to heal her hands despite his anger, the ungrateful brat. He told her to come back, but she wouldn't listen. Undertaker watched as Bayley ran up the stairs and head towards her room; the sound of the door slamming shut echoed through the mansion.

At first, the demon decided to give her some time, giving himself time as well to cool off. She had broken his mirror, however not on purpose. She was blinded by hysteria, something that could drive any human or demon on the edge of madness. There were no other mirrors in the mansion, so looking into the Mortal Realm would be impossible for her now.

Undertaker could feel Bayley was longing for her home... but she couldn't leave just yet.

She had to help him first.

Viktor and Konnor were a serious threat, he couldn't take any risks when he was going to fight them. If they were so thirsty for fame and wanted a fight that badly, they would get it. However, there were the two of them and he was alone, which would give them the advantage of course; and Undertaker didn't want to give those bastards that advantage. That's why he searched for a worthy partner, a person who could take a part of his powers without dying. Not any human was able to absorb the Undertaker's strong powers; their bodies and souls would not be able to endure the dark energy the powers brought with them, resulting in an immediate death; they would perish into ashes, wiping them away from existence. But on that night, while dwelling in the shadows of the city to find that one person, he was struck with what felt like a massive headache. But it was more than just that; he was sensing the two demons. They were right here in this damn city, and they weren't too far away either. And at the same time, he sensed someone else. The chosen one. The mental signal was just as strong as the other one, meaning that they were together at the same time. Undertaker went after them, following the senses. They were coming from the metro, he could feel it. And he was right; he found them, right over there. Konnor and Viktor had cornered an injured young woman, who was most likely their newest victim. That's when Undertaker finally saw it.

Her aura was colored in a deep shade of purple, the color he had been looking for so long.

This woman was the chosen one.

But now, she was acting like a stubborn child instead of a grown woman.

It has been hours since Bayley locked herself up in her bedroom. Sitting in his wooden armchair in the dark dusty living room, Undertaker's anger had been replaced with annoyance. He couldn't stand this kind of attitude; self-pitying fools pissed him off the most. Lying on your bed while crying your eyes out wouldn't get you anywhere, the demon had learned that from a very early age. He was convinced Bayley was one of the many virgins Viktor and Konnor mercilessly tormented before they would kill her in cold blood. In the Demon Realm, as well as the Mortal Realm, you had to take action if you wanted to face whatever was bothering you, not sit around and wait for your problems to solve themselves. Konnor and Viktor were possibly the most sadistic demons he had ever encountered in his life, God knows what kind of horrors they forced Bayley to go through. If she was too stubborn to fight them, she would allow them to get away with what they had done to her. And that angered Undertaker so much.

He had enough of this.

Undertaker got up from his seat, exited the living room and headed up the stairs. Bayley had tested his patience to the limit, and now he was tired of waiting. She needed to open her eyes, it's what she really needed. He reached the second floor, took a turn to the left and walked through the hallway. Bayley's bedroom was on the right at the end of the hallway; he practically pounded with his fist on the door.

'Bayley!' he called out. 'Open the door, we need to talk!'

But the ponytailed woman didn't say anything. It was completely quiet in the bedroom... which only irritated the demon more.

'Open the door, Bayley!' Undertaker growled, banging on the door once more.

'Go away...' a soft voice murmured inside the bedroom. 'Leave me alone...'

Undertaker's green eyes almost looked like they were glowing with anger. He swung open the door and stepped inside the bedroom. The demon spotted Bayley lying on the bed, her back turned to him and her body curled into a fetus position. Nobody would turn his or her back to the Undertaker, not even the chosen one.

'Stop this idiotic behavior, right now!' Undertaker bellowed, walking towards the bed. His loud voice nearly made the walls tremble, but it didn't make Bayley look up. Like a statue, she remained in the same position. 'I've had more than enough of that childish behavior of yours! Feeling sorry for yourself won't get you anywhere, that's not how it works!'

Suddenly, Bayley turned around and glared right at the Undertaker. Her eyelids were red and slightly puffy due to the crying. 'You know what else doesn't work...?' she hissed in resentment. 'Kidnapping somebody and forcing that person to fight along your side against her will!'

'Have you forgotten what Konnor and Viktor have done to you?! Do you want them to torment you even more?! Do you wish for them to harm your loved ones because of your lack of will to fight?!' Undertaker remembered the redhead they saw earlier before Bayley broke the mirror. There was a big chance the two demons had harmed her boyfriend as well, they were capable of doing the worst things to torment their prey.

'No, of course not!'

'Then you have to fight them if you want to stop them! They won't stop themselves, Bayley!'

'Out of all people...' The ponytailed woman let out a frustrated sigh and shook her head in disbelief. 'Out of all people in my world... why did you have to take me? Dear God, this is insane...'

'Because you can defeat them!' Undertaker replied, a little less angrier than before. 'I have seen it in you, Bayley. You are capable of carrying my powers. Together, we can stop those bastards. I suggest you to stop your childlike attitude and start behaving. And think about this... if I hadn't taken you here, you would've been dead by a long time.'

The ponytailed woman turned her head away from the demon and didn't say anything. Was she perhaps searching for words she could use for an apology. But it didn't come.

'You have to snap out of it, Bayley.' Undertaker spoke. 'You can lie here and feel sorry for yourself for hours, no, days if you want to... but remember, it won't stop Viktor and Konnor. Things might only get worse for you.'

Undertaker turned around and walked away from the bed, heading towards the door. He was still expecting the young woman to say something, but not a single word escaped from her lips.

'You can come speak to me when you've come to your senses.'

The demon exited the bedroom, slamming the door shut behind him. Once he was gone, Bayley groaned in agony and rubbed her temple.

God, she was going to lose her mind...


	8. It's Something At Least

**Chapter 8**

 **It's Something At Least**

Sami and Alexa were allowed to stay with Bayley for one more hour; that's what a nurse with short blonde hair told them shortly after the redhead declared war to the demonic bastards who put his girlfriend into a coma.

Saying he wished to track those men down to make them pay was easier said than done... but where did he have to start? Sami didn't know why they were after Bayley in the first place, what their goal was or where they even came from. They didn't leave a single trace in his apartment, the redhead had no idea what place he had to search for to find them. This frustrated him a lot, it made him feel like an idiot; here he was, promising to find the men who did this to Bayley, and he didn't have a single clue where he had to look for at first.

But for some reason, even if she didn't say it... he had the feeling Bayley believed in him. That made him want to find those bastards even more. Sami was going to do it for her, he was more than determined to bring her back. He didn't care what he had to do to wake her up, he would do everything for her. If he would catch those two men, he may find the solution to get her out of her coma. From this moment on, Sami would spend all the time he had on tracking down the two bastards, he didn't care how long it would take; the redhead would stay awake for hours on end if he had to.

The hour flew by before Sami even realized it. He had spend most of the time holding Bayley's hand while hoping this could possibly wake her up and comforting Alexa. She told the redhead she wished she could've done more for Bayley and confessed that she felt very guilty about it. Poor thing, she had been there for Bayley when she needed her the most, that was already good enough. Since Alexa was going to help him with the hunt, Sami didn't feel that helpless; hopefully she was able to find something. Before they left, Sami glanced one more time at Bayley's comatose body. She reminded him of Sleeping Beauty, who was awaiting the kiss of her handsome prince to break the spell that affected her and her kingdom. But unfortunately, a kiss from her prince wasn't going to wake her up this time. Yes, he was going to find those men... that was a promise. With pain in his heart, the redhead closed the door behind him.

'Do you want me to bring you home, Alexa?' Sami asked when they exited the hospital. It was two o'clock in the afternoon, the sun was shining bright and the parking lot of St. John Hospital had a few cars less. A car just drove away from the parking lot just now, making the tires screech as it sped up. The driver must've received some bad news... the redhead wondered what it was.

'No, that's fine.' Alexa replied. 'I think I'll head into the city for a while, I haven't had lunch yet. Thanks for the offer, though.'

'You're welcome. You call me if you need a ride or something else, alright?'

'I will, thanks. Sami...?'

'Yeah?'

If one thing had to be said about Bayley, it was her good taste in men, the petite woman suddenly realized. Sami was a great guy, she was lucky to have somebody like him having a romantic interest in her. Only now, Alexa noticed that the redhead was quite a handsome fella... yup, Bayley sure as hell was one lucky girl. 'Don't doubt yourself. We are going to find them, we will bring Bayley back.'

Sami gave her a small smile and nodded. 'Believe me, Al... it's all I want right now.'

'Me too... God, I still can't believe it. But we will find them, Sami. And we will make them pay.'

'You're damn right about that.'

'I will call you if I find something, I can drop by the library later in the day.'

'That's good, I will check my home if I can find any traces. Good luck, Alexa.'

'You too, Sami. See you later!'

The petite woman turned and walked away from him. Sami watched until she got out his sight and let out a soft sigh. He still regretted snapping at her earlier in the elevator, she didn't deserve that. He wished he had an answer to her question... but unfortunately, he didn't have it. But it was not the right time to mope about that, he had to look for clues! The redhead walked towards the parking lot and got inside his car. Shifting the gear in reverse, he drove the car out of the spot. He shifted the gear once more and drove away from the parking lot; St. John Hospital soon disappeared in the reflection of the car mirror as Sami increased the distance.

Stopping in front of the red traffic light a while later, the redhead looked around him. The people that were walking on the sidewalks past him (a man around his age just walked into a small store on his right for a pack of cigarettes) were all living their own lives, they were just minding their own business. It was funny, actually... His girlfriend was in a coma because of two monsters yet life went on for these people. They probably wouldn't care on bit if they would hear his story, they were too busy dealing with their own problems. Life can be so strange sometimes.

A loud honk behind him made Sami slightly jump and blink his eyes in surprise. Looking in the side mirror, he saw a man with a mustache sticking his head outside the window of the car behind him.

'Move it, asshole!' the man shouted. 'The damn light is green!'

The traffic light had switched from apple red to venom green. Shit, he had been daydreaming so much he didn't even notice it. Sami quickly drove away, shaking his head. 'There are some really lovely people living in this city...' he mumbled to himself.

* * *

This was going to be much harder than he thought.

Sami had looked everywhere in his apartment, from his bedroom to the balcony, but he couldn't find anything. The redhead had moved the couch, his nightstand, even his wardrobe to look for a potential clue... but all without avail. Damn, he hoped that those bastards would at least leave something on the walls, like a mark, hell, maybe even blood for all he cared. Those freaks were clever, unfortunately; they didn't leave a single trace that could lead Sami to them and a possible solution to bring Bayley back. No, they weren't even any clues on the windows and the doors; no sign of a break-in either. It was very likely that they turned into shadows when they got into his apartment.

Letting out a frustrated sigh and ran his fingers through his short red hair. He was exhausted, to say the least; he barely had any sleep when he returned home after his failed confession to the cops, he was expecting the hospital receptionist to call him at any moment to announce his girlfriend had unfortunately died in her coma.

He never wanted to drink a beer so badly in his entire life. Sami walked into the kitchen and opened the fridge; he was immediately greeted by a gentle, cold breeze. There were a few eggs, cheese, butter, ham, a salad meal, milk, three cans of energy drink and a six-pack of beer. Sami reached out with his hand to grab a can of beer, but as soon as his fingertips touched the cold tin, the redhead started to hesitate. He knew he was the kind of guy who loved to have a couple of beers; if he would finish one can, he would immediately start on another. The chance that he would get drunk was big, and if that would happen, the bastards and the solution to Bayley's awakening would be even further out of his reach. Sami pulled back his hand and closed the fridge.

However, his apartment was not the only place he could search for clues. There was a way bigger place where the chance of finding traces was bigger.

The Internet.

The redhead grabbed his laptop from his dinner table and sat down on the couch. He put the laptop on his lap, opened it and turned it on. After a few seconds, it was fully started. Sami started the Internet and went to his favorite searching engine. For a little while, his fingertips were drifting above the buttons. What was he going to type? He decided to give it a shot.

'Men face paint black shoulder pads' were the keywords of his choice.

Immediately an entire list of sites including these words appeared. Sami clicked on every site, his eyes scanned all the text, but none of the pages had the right answers for his hunt. His eyes were stinging due to the tiredness mixed with the brightness of the screen, but he didn't stop. It had to be here, he had to find something! More sites appeared when he scrolled down, but just like the previous ones, they were useless. Fifteen minutes later the redhead still hadn't made any progress, which only frustrated him more and more as each second passed.

But then on that moment, as if God himself decided to give him a lucky break, something finally useful appeared. After Sami clicked on the fifty-sixth site, a blog appeared on his screen. It was a blog with quite a clumsy design, as if the blogger hadn't followed any courses of how to design a proper website. 'The Two Men On My Wedding Night', was the title of the blog. The background color was dark grey, the letters were red, giving the blog kind of a sinister look for some reason.

What Sami read next made chills run up and down his spine.

* * *

 _'Nobody believes me when I tell this, not even my own family or my family in law. I'm a grown man, I have been raised with Christian beliefs, my parents are not divorced and I studied at a fine university. I have never believed in anything that has to do with the paranormal, I always believed that stuff only existed in books and movies. There is always a logical explanation for everything, that's what I was convinced of until now. I know I'm not crazy, because I know what I saw._

 _During my study, I met a girl who was attending the same class I was at on that day. Her name was Julia and dear God, she was the most beautiful girl to walk on this fucked up Earth. Long blonde hair, green eyes and a wonderful personality. I didn't believe in love at first sight until that moment. We made a little conversation when class was over. Just like me, she was a devout Christian. We shared many interests, like going to the coffee shop not far away from the university, movies and books. We even shared the same dream; becoming a doctor. By that time, I had fallen deeply in love with her, I knew she was the one. Call it naïve if you will. We went to visit the coffee shop that afternoon and had a wonderful time. And a couple of dates later, we finally became a couple. Being loved back by your crush is the best feeling in the world._

 _Soon after our graduation, we moved in together. It was a small apartment near the sea, the kind of place Julia always talked about. I got a job at a hospital as a male nurse, she still had a bit of trouble when it came to looking for a job. In the meanwhile, I was saving money for something I wanted to buy for a long time; a ring. That's right, I wanted to ask the love of my life to become my wife. After a long time, I was finally able to buy the most beautiful ring I could find at the jewelry. That night, after a romantic dinner with candle light in a restaurant, I took her to the beach for a walk. After a little while of walking, I went down on my knee, took the box out of my pocket and showed her the ring. I have never seen Julia this happy; she immediately said yes._

 _As I mentioned before, Julia was a Christian, which meant she abhorred sex before marriage. Knowing that she saved herself for me made me feel blessed, really. But a few days before our wedding day, I noticed there was a change in her personality. She was different, she was... nervous. I worked for many hours, so I couldn't keep an eye on her. I asked her numerous times if something was bothering her, but she said it was just nervousness for the big day. I thought everything was said with that. Fuck, if I had known earlier..._

 _Our wedding day was finally there. Whenever I close my eyes, I can still see her; Julia was wearing a white dress with a veil, looking more beautiful than ever. Everything was perfect, it was just like we dreamed of. When the pastor pronounced us husband and wife, it had to be the best moment of our lives. After the wedding reception in the lobby of the hotel we were staying in, we went to our hotel room for a good of sleep._

 _Julia had already changed herself in her sleeping gown and was waiting for me in bed. I went to the bathroom to brush my teeth quickly; I wished I would've never done that, then I could've possibly still save her._

 _That's when it happened._

 _I had just finished brushing my teeth when I heard Julia screaming. And I mean screaming. As if she was being murdered. By heart dropped to my stomach when I heard her, I had never heard a human being scream like that. I rushed out of the bedroom to go to her. At first I thought someone had broke into our hotel room, I wish it was just that. What I saw next stopped me dead in my tracks._

 _Two men with strange face paint and wearing black leather shoulder pads were standing next to the bed. One men was slightly taller than the other, sporting a brown mohawk. The smaller one had a black ponytail. Both of them had goatee's. They were holding Julia by her shoulders and were sucking something out of her body; it looked like a thick blue mist. I wanted to scream, shove them off my wife, but I couldn't do anything. My legs felt like they were paralyzed; to this day, I still blame myself for my cowardice. The blue mist stopped coming out of Julia's mouth and the men let go of her. She fell on her back on the bed and laid still. That's when those men noticed me. I can still remember the grins on their faces... if the devil would grin, he would have a grin like that. The last thing I remember was those men charging at me... and that's when everything went black._

 _The hotel security found me the next morning. I was brought to the hospital, where I learned that Julia had died. I refused to believe it... the love of my life was dead. When I told the cops of what I had seen, they didn't believe me for one bit. They looked at me like I was crazy... which soon became their conclusion._

 _Just a few days ago, I found out that my parents had signed me up to be institutionalized to a mental hospital. That's fine with me, though. Julia is gone, nothing matters to me anymore. But I know one thing; I know what I saw. Those men with the black leather shoulder pads inside the hotel room were real. If God exists, evil should exist as well. Tomorrow I will be transferred to the mental hospital, but before that, I want to write my story for everyone to see. When I think about it, I think Julia had seen those men before, but didn't say anything to me because she didn't want me to worry. She had always been like that. Those men were real... I will believe that until the day I die._

* * *

'Jesus Christ...' Sami whispered in horror.

This guy had seen them too. Just like him, the police didn't believe his story. Those bastards were real. Right now, he had found the answer why they attacked Bayley. She was a virgin. This Julia was a virgin too. Whatever they had sucked out of her, it must've killed her. They planned to do the same thing to Bayley, the redhead was convinced of it now.

But why was she in a coma then?

Did they fail to kill her... or did something else happen?


	9. A Moment Of Calmness

**Chapter 9**

 **A Moment Of Calmness**

She must have dozed off, because when she opened her eyes, the sky outside had colored dark blue and the pale full moon was already shining bright.

Bayley let out a soft groan and sat up, looking around her. Undertaker hadn't come into her bedroom after their little shouting match in the afternoon. She was so overwhelmed by everything; her stay in the Demon Realm, the fact that Sami couldn't hear nor see her, Viktor and Konnor, her being fit for enduring the Undertaker's powers... it all got to her. That's why she locked herself up in her bedroom for hours, on some moments she thought she was actually going to go insane. But miraculously, she managed to not let her mind fall apart. It didn't help at all when Undertaker burst into the bedroom and started shouting at her. On that moment, she felt nothing more but resentment towards him; he was the one who had taken her away from her home, he had taken everything from her!

Her boyfriend, her friends, her family, her life. All because of a fight against two damn demons!

But now that she thought about... the ponytailed woman felt ashamed of her behavior. That was not how a woman in her mid-twenties should've acted. It was so childish, she couldn't believe she had been so rude. Undertaker's words were hard, but he did make Bayley think. Of course she didn't forget what Konnor and Viktor had done to her; they had turned her life into a living hell, they had turned her from a young woman who enjoyed life to the fullest into an anxious wreck, a shadow of her former self. They had torn her group of friends apart, forcing her into isolation, all because she was so afraid of them hurting Alexa and Sami. The demon was right about one thing too; if he hadn't appeared in the metro, Viktor and Konnor would've killed her by now. Undertaker had taken her life away from her... but at the same time, he also saved it.

Bayley had the feeling she should apologize to him for her behavior. Hopefully he would accept it.

The ponytailed woman got off from her bed and exited her bedroom. She didn't feel the cold when she entered the hallway, meaning that Undertaker wasn't here.

'Undertaker?' Bayley called out. 'I want to talk to you!'

Just then, she heard something faint in the distance. The ponytailed woman perked her ears. 'What's that?' she wondered to herself.

It was music.

Piano music.

It was very faint, but just loud enough for the human ear to hear it. Whoever was playing must've been practicing for years, it sounded amazing. It was a slow, gentle song and it was absolutely beautiful. It was soothing, it put her mind at ease. Was it Undertaker who was playing the piano? Or maybe someone else? Bayley couldn't help but wanting to find out, the music was almost hypnotizing. It sounded like it was coming from downstairs out of the many rooms. Bayley walked through the hallway, the moonlight shining through the window acted once more as her light in the darkness. The combination with the slightly worn down state of the mansion, the old furniture and the beautiful piano music created a dreamy atmosphere in the mansion, replacing the spooky atmosphere that haunted the hallways. When Bayley got near the stairs, the song was loud enough for her to recognize.

'Moonlight Sonata' by Beethoven.

The ponytailed woman had never been that much interested in classic music, but this song was one of the most beautiful songs she knew. One of her aunts did like that kind of music, though; whenever she would visit her, Mozart or Beethoven would always be played throughout the house that smelled like pumpkin pie and chamomile tea. Bayley didn't like any of the songs, but if she had to pick a favorite, it would be 'Moonlight Sonata' without a doubt.

Bayley practically tiptoed down the stairs, as if she was afraid the creaking noise the steps would produce would interrupt the song. As she descended down the stairs, the music became louder when she got closer to the lower floor. At the end of the stairs, the music became perfectly clear; it was coming from the door on Bayley's left, behind the door next to that was next to the door that lead to the dining room. The ponytailed woman decided to give it a shot; she twisted the doorknob as carefully as possible, hoping it wouldn't creak. Luckily it didn't do that. She slowly opened the door and managed to take a peek inside.

She didn't expect to see this at least, she could suppress a gasp of surprise just in time.

Behind the door a small ballroom was awaiting her. This had to be the least dusty room in the whole mansion, in the moonlight it looked like it had just be cleaned so the host of the ball could receive the guests, inviting them to dance into the early hours of the morning. Paintings of landscapes decorated the walls. Two humanoid statues were placed in the far two corners of the ballroom, but there was something off about them. Narrowing her eyes, Bayley noticed what was wrong with them; on each head of the statues, two horns that resembled the horns of a ram protruded out of the sides of their skull. It were statues of demons, Bayley realized with a shiver running up her spine. Girandoles spread a pleasant light and slight warmth in the ballroom. A huge golden chandelier was attached on the ceiling, dangling above the sight that surprised the ponytailed woman the most.  
A black piano was placed in the middle of the ballroom. Undertaker was the one who was playing it. Sitting on the music stool with his back turned to the ponytailed woman, his fingers gently playing the keys of the piano, making the instrument emit the most beautiful music you would ever hear. It was almost hypnotizing to look at the sight; who knew that a tall and intimidating man like the Undertaker would be so talented in playing the piano. It was possible he was actually enjoying doing this, he looked like he was completely relaxed. This surely changed the image Bayley had of him; until now, she saw him as a slightly terrifying demon... who knew he could have a poetic side, nearly beautiful, even.

Suddenly, Undertaker stopped playing and looked behind, as if he had noticed the ponytailed woman watching him. His emerald green eyes met hers, it felt like they were burning into her mind once more. Bayley let out a soft gasp. He had caught her staring at him... how was he going to react?

'Bayley...' the demon spoke. 'Have you finally decided to come out of your bedroom?'

The ponytailed woman nodded. 'Yeah. I only got out just now.'

'I see.' It was about time, she had spend way too much time in there. Perhaps his words had finally reached her.

'I heard you playing when I was in the hallway, it's... it's beautiful.'

Undertaker nodded in gratitude, but his face didn't show that much of it. 'I appreciate that compliment.' he said. 'It helps me to relax, it's this music that can put me at ease in the hardest times.'

'Can I sit down next to you?' Bayley asked. 'Don't stop playing because of me, you can continue if you want.'

The demon nodded once more and scooted up, gesturing to her to sit down next to him. Bayley walked towards him and sat down on the music stool. Their bodies were close enough to make contact with each other, but it didn't feel bothersome. Undertaker resumed the song, his fingers controlling the piano keys like a truly talented player. Bayley watched in amazement, the music made calmness wash over her like a wave. This soothing moment brought back memories... memories she treasured so much.

'I used to play piano too when I was little.' she confessed.

'You did?'

It surprised the ponytailed woman the demon actually was interested in what she had to say.

'Yup... but that was a long time ago. I started playing when I was around five years old I think. My parents always wanted me to play on parties in front of the entire family.'

'Didn't that bother you? Did you prefer to do something else instead of doing that?'

Bayley smiled and nodded. 'No, not at all. I really enjoyed it at the time. My family would always cheer and clap for me, my aunt even told me I would become a star one day.' Bayley's smile quickly disappeared from her face. 'But... everything changed when my mother died.'

'Really? What happened to her?'

'I was seven years old when she died. She had been ill for a very long time, I don't know what she had, I don't even think dad knew about that. After she died, it became harder for me to concentrate on my piano lessons. My mother always listened to me while I was practicing, she would always encourage me if I was upset about making a mistake. Playing the piano remembered me so much of her... that's why I always broke down in tears in front of the instructor while playing. It eventually became so bad that I was even too scared to touch the piano. My dad eventually sold it and I haven't played ever since then.'

Undertaker didn't say anything for a little moment. Was he perhaps looking for words to say? 'I'm sorry for your loss.' he said. 'It must be very upsetting for a girl your age to lose a mother like that.'

Bayley nodded, appreciating the strangely kind words. 'Yeah... it was really hard. But thanks, either way.' Remembering her mother's sweet face nearly made tears well up in the corners of her eyes, but she managed to keep them back.

Suddenly, Undertaker stopped playing once more. 'Do you think you can play again?' he asked.

The ponytailed woman blinked her eyes in surprise. 'What?'

'You can overcome your grief by playing once more. You can face it, you will never play a piano again if you keep that one memory in your mind.'

'Are you sure about that? I haven't played in years, I'm afraid my skills have gone quite rusty.'

'Give it a shot either way. It doesn't matter if it sounds bad or not.'

The ponytailed woman remembered her instructor trying to learn her how to play 'Moonlight Sonata' a week before she quit; she remembered it vaguely, but she decided to give it a try. Her ring finger pressed a key, making the piano emit the first note. Bayley could picture it all again; her mother sitting next to her with a smile on her face, watching as her little talent did her absolute best. For a moment she wanted to stop, but mentally forced herself to keep going. Undertaker was right, she could face this; and she was going to do that. Her fingers touched a few more keys, it all seemed to go a bit more smoother. But then she suddenly hit a wrong key, giving the song an unfitting tune. She quickly pulled her hands back in shame.

'Sorry about that.' Bayley said.

'No, it's fine. How do you feel now, Bayley?'

'I feel... good, actually. It feel nice to play again.'

'Perfect. Come, allow me to teach you how to play.'

What happened next had to be the most calming moment Bayley had so far in the Demon Realm. Step by step, Undertaker learned her how to play the correct way. The ponytailed woman slowly felt the last bit of resentment towards the demon fade away, she surprisingly felt safe with him. It was he had been instructing her for years. He was right, she was able to finally dare to play piano and overcome a part of her grief. The skills she had neglected over the years were polished up, she proved that she still had it. Together, Bayley and Undertaker played like they had all the time in the world.

'Hey...' the ponytailed woman said after a while. 'I want to apologize for how I acted earlier today. It... it was really immature of me to do that.'

'I accept your apology.' the demon replied. He was relieved that his words had reached her at last. 'It's good to hear that you have made up your mind.'

'I really want to thank you for saving me from Viktor and Konnor. I will always be grateful for that.'

'Do you think you're ready?' Undertaker asked. 'Are you willing to take a part of my powers and join me in the fight?'

Bayley didn't reply to that answer for a moment. She stared at her fingertips touching the piano keys. Damn, she hadn't really thought about that. What was going to happen to her if she would accept her fate? Was there a chance she would turn into a demon as well? Would she be able to defeat the monsters who had made her life miserable? She was able to play piano again without breaking down in tears, but fighting against demons with powers she wasn't familiar with... God, she was doubting so much, she had so many questions.

'I... don't know, to be honest.'


	10. Twisted Shadows

**Chapter 10**

 **Twisted Shadows**

Perhaps there was a chance that Alexa may get closer to finding the solution to find the men and bring back Bayley on this day.

Shortly after she and Sami parted ways at the entrance of St. John Hospital, the petite woman went to the center of the city and entered a small restaurant that wasn't too far away from the library; she planned to go there after lunch. Most people who were eating at the restaurant were business men who probably would rather pay for overpriced coffee and sandwiches than eat the lousy lunches their wives prepared for them. Alexa ordered a panini with salmon and lettuce along with a cup of tea. While eating her lunch, she constantly checked her cell phone, hoping that Sami would've found something by now. After she finished eating her lunch, she left the restaurant and headed to the library.

As in many libraries, it was dead silence, as if time stood still as soon as the petite woman set foot in the building. A woman in her sixties wearing glasses with black frames and her brown hair tied in a bun was sitting behind the circulation desk was practically glaring at the visitors of the library, keeping an eye on everybody as if she was a human security camera; turning a page of a book would probably make her hush you. Alexa walked over to the supernatural section, her eyes scanning the titles on the books. She quickly noticed most books were written for children, judging by the childish titles. For some reason, the petite woman could kind of understand that; the supernatural genre would appeal more to children than to adults. There were books about vampires, werewolves, zombies, ghosts, but nothing about men with face paint and black leather shoulder pads. Alexa grabbed a few books from the shelves and sat down at the big reading table. There she spend the following hour, reading chapter after chapter of each book to find something about the men that tormented her friend. But much to her disappointment and frustration, she couldn't find anything. Damn it, none of the books contained something useful! Those two men weren't vampires, zombies, ghosts or any other kind of monster.

However, Alexa did find something useful when she read the book about ghosts.

Ghosts were often benign, entities that would only haunt the places where they died without any intentions of harming anyone. But a ghost that did have malicious tendencies would often be categorized with demons. Demons... the word stuck with the petite woman. The men who tormented Bayley definitely had evil intentions, so they had to be demons for sure. Demons were even worse than ghosts... just to think that they were in her apartment made goose bumps appear all over Alexa's arms. Were there any more books about these supernatural creatures? Alexa went back to the shelves to look for more books, but couldn't find anything that came close to demonology. Strange... maybe the lady behind the circulation desk would know more about this. Alexa left the supernatural section and walked over to the lady.

'Excuse me...' the petite woman said, making the lady look up with a slightly annoyed look in her eyes. 'Do you happen to have a book about demons?'

Without saying anything, the lady typed something on the computer and clicked a couple of times with the mouse. 'Sorry, it appears that all books with the subject of demons have all been loaned.' she said after a while.

'I see. Thanks, though.' Alexa walked away from the circulation desk and exited the library.

Where else could she find stuff about demons? The petite woman thought about it for a while, but she quickly got an idea. Whenever she would go to the gym to work out, she would drive by a store that would sell all kinds of stuff that had to do with the occult. (Most of the customers were goths in their teenage years, Alexa had seen them hanging around the store many times when she drove by) But that store was a bit far from the library... damn, Alexa wished she had gone to the hospital by car.

After half an hour of walking, she arrived at the shop; the store's name, 'The Pentagram', was written on the window which was decorated with fantasy themed posters and goth fashion. Alexa entered the store and looked around her. Some customers (a few teens and a slightly overweight woman wearing a corset and a long black skirt) looked at her like she was some alien. Alexa felt like a Disney princess amongst a group of vampires. Most of the shop's merchandise was fashion and accessories, but the petite woman did find something in the back. It was a bookshelf with books of the fantasy genre. And much to her luck, she found a book about demons and other residents of the ghost world. Bingo!

Alexa bought the book for twenty dollars. The book was a little bit heavy due to the many pages, but she was sure she was going to find information in it. The book was put in a plastic bag and Alexa left the shop. She got her cell phone out of the pocket of her skirt and checked the time; it was half past three. In one and a half hour the stores in the shopping mall would close, maybe she could have dinner over there as well. Alexa decided to stay there until five o'clock and leave after she had dinner.

One and half hour and a fresh salad at the mall's salad bar later, Alexa exited the mall. She loved going there, but today she just couldn't concentrate on the new clothes her favorite fashion stores had brought in. She actually kind of felt guilty about doing this... Bayley needed her help, she shouldn't be here! What kind of friend was she?

The sun had already started to go down, if she would hurry she could make it at her apartment in time before it would get dark. And she did have to hurry.

She still had to go through the city park to get to her home.

Going through a park at dusk was a challenge for every woman these days. God knows who or what was hiding behind the trees or in the bushes, you always had to be on your guards if you didn't want some sick bastard to grab you from behind and hurt you in the worst way possible. However, with a can of pepper spray in her purse, Alexa felt a bit safer. The first pervert who would try to harm could get half of the can in his face for all she cared, she wouldn't be afraid of hurting somebody who tried to hurt her in the first place. She was ready to go through the park.

Holding her purse against her, the petite woman headed towards the park; it took a bit longer than thirty minutes to get there, she had to walk back in the direction towards St. John Hospital to go to the city park. The entrance of the park already started to look like the entrance to a haunted forest in the twilight of the dying day, but Alexa pulled herself together. The walk through the park would possibly take less than ten minutes, she should be able to make that. Yes, she was going to do it. All she needed to be safe was the can of pepper spray. With a fearless attitude, Alexa stepped into the shady park.

That had to be the worst mistake she had ever made in her entire life.

* * *

The leaf-adorned branches of the trees clouded the sky, making her surroundings look more darker, but Alexa wasn't planning to cringe in fear because of that.

The temperature had dropped quite a bit, a cold breeze made goose bumps appear all over her arms. Damn it, she should've brought a jacket along with her. But despite the cold and the dusk, the petite woman bravely walked on, walking with quick steps. A few lampposts illuminated the path in front of her, which made her feel a bit more secure. She heard one of the park's little lakes making sloshing noises in the distance, along with the quaking of ducks which were still searching for pieces of old bread, even by this time of the day. There was nobody else in the park, the petite woman was the only one who had the guts to walk here. Her arm was a little bit sore of carrying the heavy book, with a bit of bad luck the plastic of the bag would rip at any time. Alexa planned to read the book as soon as she got home, in the safety of her living room. She hoped the book would have some useful information; she still had the receipt, if it turned out to be useless she could always return it. Maybe she could call Sami later on to ask him if he got anything, he hadn't texted her all day long.

Was it because something happened to him?

The petite woman shook her head. 'Don't get paranoid, he's probably still searching.' she mumbled to herself.

The park almost looked peaceful, but Alexa didn't allow herself to let her guards down. She had the zipper of her purse already clenched between her fingertips, ready to zip it open and grab the pepper spray if someone would jump out of the bushes. As she walked on, she looked around her, making sure she was indeed safe. Surprisingly, everything seemed... normal. Was she perhaps a bit too paranoid? That was a good question, after everything that had happened. Bayley being stalked by possible demons, Sami being attacked and Bayley put in a coma... these last days had been crazy, to say the least. Alexa still had to walk a bit further, she was almost halfway this part of the park.

The sound of a snapping branch made her stop dead in her tracks.

Alexa looked behind her. It sounded like it was coming from behind her. She could feel her heartbeat slightly rising as the paranoia kicked in. 'Who's there?' she called out. A gentle gust of wind made the leafs of the trees rustle, but otherwise it was completely silent. Maybe it was not a person who made a branch snap, it could be something else, perhaps a squirrel or some other small animal that could often be spotted here in the city park. Alexa listened for a little while more, but she heard nothing else. 'I shouldn't be so paranoid...' she mumbled and walked on.

But less than ten seconds later, she could swear she heard footsteps behind her.

Two pairs of footsteps, to be exact.

Now Alexa knew this wasn't another small fit of paranoia of a woman walking through a dark city park. She zipped open her purse and wrapped her fingers around the can of pepper spray. Turning around, she was ready to spray a whiff of the stinging content in somebody's face. Her jaw almost dropped with surprise.

Nobody was standing behind her, not even in the distance.

But... how? How was this possible? There was somebody walking her, she had heard it! Her heartbeat increased as her mouth started to become dry. This shit was getting too freaky, she had to get out of here.

Alexa increased her pace, almost running by this point. Her hand was still in her purse, holding the pepper spray. This is what she had feared for so much, this was the nightmare of every woman who was walking alone in the park. Someone was following her, she was convinced of it. The dreaded feeling of being watched by somebody crept up inside her, she could a pair of eyes burning on her back, making the hair on the back of her neck stand straight up. There was nobody in sight, the petite woman couldn't ask anybody to help her. All she wanted right now was to get to the exit of the park; once she would reach it, she would be safe. But the question was... was she actually going to reach the exit?

Just then, Alexa heard two male voices chuckling behind her in the most sinister way possible. It sounded so mockingly and so dark... it was almost inhuman.

The petite woman's blue eyes widened in horror as a trickle of sweat ran down her temple. She tried to resist the temptation to look behind, but it was too strong; she had to know it. While her breath became shaky with fear, Alexa peeked over her shoulder.

It felt like her heart ceased beating.

In the faint light of a lamppost, she clearly saw two large shapeless shadows gliding towards her, slithering over the ground like snakes. It were the same shadows that had haunted Bayley and drove her into the coma, the same shadows that had somehow turned into men and attacked Sami, Alexa was convinced of that. And now she had become their next target.

'No!' she screamed.

Alexa started running for her dear life, running as fast as she could. The two male voices chuckled once more, making her emit a scream of horror. She hoped from the bottom of her heart somebody would hear her scream; but it didn't look like anybody was going to help her. The park was empty, her knight in shining armor wasn't going to rescue her anytime soon. Her heart pounded in her head and her lungs were practically burning at this point. Sweat of fear ran down her forehead, mixed with the tears that started to pour over her lower eyelid. She could feel that the two shadows were still following her, she felt it in her bones. Oh God, what were they going to do to her if they caught her? Were they going to put her in a coma just like they did with Bayley or even worse?! She convinced that if she reached the exit of the park she would be safe, she had to run just a little bit more! The petite woman was too scared to look behind her, as if once glance over her shoulder would immediately kill her.

Her heart nearly exploded with relief when she saw the exit of the park in the distance. Just a few more meters and she would be safe!

A hand grabbed into her hair, making Alexa let out a shriek of pain. The petite woman let go of the plastic bag with the book in it, dropping it. She was roughly thrown to the ground, scraping her jaw line to the rough ground. Oh God, they got her, she was convinced of it. It was all over, they were going to do something horrible to her, she was convinced of it. With her body trembling all over, the petite woman looked up to face her fate.

The shadows were right in front of her. Alexa watched in shock as both shadows grew larger and larger, slowly taking a humanoid shape. The blackness of the shadows faded away as they revealed their human form. They were now fully transformed into two men, wearing black leather shoulder pads and strange face paint.

It were the same 'men' who had attacked Sami and Bayley...

'Don't try to outrun us, you little bitch...' the 'man' with the black ponytail said with a sadistic grin on his face. 'There is no way you will ever escape us.'

Alexa was about to accept her unknown fate when she remembered the pepper spray in her purse. It was now or never.

She got back on her feet as fast as possible, pulled the can out of her purse and sprayed into her attackers' eyes. 'Fuck off!' she screamed at the top of her lungs, expecting the 'men' to go down to the ground writhing in pain, giving her a chance to escape.

But it didn't happen.

The two 'men' seemed to be completely unaffected by the pepper spray, the white part of their eyes didn't even color red. They mockingly chuckled as Alexa dropped her jaw in horror. The hand that was holding the pepper spray was now trembling like a leaf. How? How was this possible?!

'Like I said...' the ponytailed 'man' said. 'There is no way to escape us.'

The only thing that Alexa could do now was scream in pure fear.


	11. Unreal

**Chapter 11**

 **Unreal**

Dolph wondered if there was ever a time where Miz would shut the hell up just for once.

The detective tried to talk his way out of it, but it was no use; during the day, his partner had asked him multiple times to go have dinner with him instead of his wife, claiming that it was something normal for colleagues to do. The detective had the strong feeling Miz was trying to build up some sort of friendship with him, but there was no way in hell he would ever be friends with an arrogant douchebag like him. But Miz just wouldn't shut up, and so Dolph gave up. He agreed to come along with him, just so he would stop. He felt like a total asshole when he called Kaitlyn to tell her that he wouldn't have dinner with her tonight. She told him it was alright and hoped that he would have a good time, but the blonde detective could already picture his wife sitting all alone at the dinner table; it was almost gut-wrenching, but it was obvious that Miz didn't give a shit about that.

There wasn't much to do today, much to Dolph's surprise. Did all the big criminals in this city decide to kick back and relax just for today? Only a few calls came into the police station today, most of them were just reports of teen brats spraying graffiti on buildings. One call was a lot more serious, though; a woman reported between hysterical sobs that her husband was about to kill her, she was most likely one of the many women who were unlucky enough to marry an abusive bastard of a man. Dolph hoped the officers could stop that guy just in time before bashing his wife's head in with a chair.

Other than that, nothing else really alarming happened. And it looked like the Virgin Killer hadn't struck again either today... Much to Dolph's frustration, the forensic team still hadn't found any damn evidence. This guy was clever, he knew exactly what he had to do to avoid being caught.

At last a long day had come to an end. Miz said he knew this great burger joint in the city, he said they sold the most delicious burgers there were. But after the blonde detective parked near the city's park, walked a bit further with his colleague and caught a glimpse of the shady-looking burger joint, he immediately doubted that opinion. When Miz opened the door, they were immediately greeted with the smell of fried oil and salt. Their burgers were served by a girl who must've been so desperate to pay for her college funds she had to work in a shithole like this burger joint. Miz clearly enjoyed his burger, but Dolph seemed less fond of his cheeseburger that tasted more like fat than meat. God, he would prefer Kaitlyn's cooking any day over this. Between mouthfuls of burger, Miz told the detective all about the time when he was still working in Cleveland; he managed to catch a couple of bad guys when he was still a rookie, which was possibly why he was transferred to this place. Either that or they just wanted his arrogant ass out of there, but Dolph thought it was most likely because of the latter. For a moment he imagined the entire police station opening up foaming bottles of champagne and eating cake to celebrate Miz's departure.

After Miz paid the check and the blonde detective gave the girl who served them the burgers a tip, they left the burger joint.

'So yeah, that's how I basically got here!' Miz said while they were walking back to the car.

'Oh...' Dolph replied. He barely had listened to anything his partner had said; all that came out of his mouth was nothing more but annoyance.

'You know... I still can't get over that guy in the hospital.' Miz sniggered. 'I still wonder what kind of drugs he took to come up with a story like that!'

'Come on Miz, don't you think you're being a bit too cruel now?' The detective also really didn't believe Mr. Zayn's story, but he couldn't stand it when he saw his partner downright belittling him. That guy looked so sad and broken... somehow Dolph had the feeling he couldn't be bullshitting him, despite this strange story.

'Me? Cruel? I know a junkie when I see one, and he was definitely one. Still can't believe it was because of him I had to get out of my damn bed.'

'But for real, I think y-'

A high-pitched scream of a woman emerged from the city park, abruptly cutting off the men's conversation. Half a second later another scream with the same voice followed, louder than the previous one. Somebody was in danger over there in that dark park, Dolph was convinced of that.

'Jesus Christ, did you hear that?!' Dolph said.

'You're damn right I heard that.' Miz replied. 'But maybe it's just some couple messing around with each other, nothing to worry about...'

Oh my fucking God, was this guy for real...?!

'Miz, there is no way in hell I'm going to ignore that! Somebody probably needs help, we've gotta go in there!'

'But...'

'Now, Miz!'

The blonde detective ran away from his partner and headed towards the park. Fine, if that dumb shit wasn't going to help, he would go into the park my himself then! He grabbed his pistol out of his back pocket; if there was one thing a cop shouldn't do, it had to be walking on the streets without his pistol. You may never know when you would need it... and right now was the perfect moment to use it.

Miz rolled his eyes in annoyance, but decided to follow his partner anyway. 'For Christ's sake...' he mumbled as he ran after him into the darkness of the city park. He was going to see it for, he was just going to make an ass out of himself, Miz was sure of that.

He had never been so wrong in his life.

The path of the park was dimly lit by the light of the lampposts, but it was good enough for Dolph to see where he was going. The park was a dangerous place around nighttime, nobody in the right mind would ever walk here. Years before the detective was promoted to the homicide department, a young woman had been found in the bushes of the park; autopsy revealed that she was raped before her attacker cut her throat like a pig. The murder caused paranoia amongst the women who lived in this city, who became too scared to ever set foot in the park as long as that sick fuck was still on the loose. And even after the killer (who was a mentally ill homeless man in his fifties) was caught and put on death row, it would take months before women dared to enter the park again. Was something like that going to happen once more in this same park? If Dolph was able to intervene in time, it wouldn't.

He didn't have to run far into the shady park to see what was going on. Not far away from him, he spotted two men closing in a petite woman with platinum blonde hair with blue tips, who was still emitting the terrified screams he had heard before. Dolph heard rapid footsteps behind him and Miz was standing right next to him in a second. He too had already pulled out his pistol. Without hesitation, the detective aimed his pistol at the men.

'Police!' he shouted at the top of his lungs. 'Step away from that woman and get down on the ground with your hands in the air! Now!'

The woman looked up and stopped screaming. 'Oh thank God...' she whimpered. 'Please, help me!'

Upon a closer look, Dolph noticed the two men were both wearing black leather shoulder pads and face paint.

Hold on a second...

Shoulder pads... Face paint...

Didn't Mr. Zayn describe his attackers like that in the hospital?

A shiver went through Dolph's body. Holy fucking shit... was that story true after all?!

But it didn't look like the men were intimidated by the command of the blonde detective. They just stared at them with an uninterested look in their eyes... nearly mocking even. And apparently Miz thought this was the right timing to act like a bigger man than Dolph.

'Don't worry man, I got this!' he said with a grin.

Without any kind of warning, he fired his first shot, hitting the man that was slightly taller than the other man in the shoulder. 'Get down on the ground, you fucker!' Miz shouted. 'Or you will catch the next one in your kneecap!'

But much to Miz's and Dolph's surprise, they saw that the bullet that was fired had ricocheted off the shoulder pad, as if it was made out of some sort of bullet-proof material. The dented bullet fell on the ground with an inaudible thud. The other man with the black ponytail took a hold of the petite woman, grabbing her by the shoulders. She shrieked and briefly struggled to get free, but his grip was too strong.

'I said: Get down on the ground!' Miz shouted and fired the remaining five bullets at the man until his pistol produced clicking noises when he pulled the trigger. He was sure he had hit him in the head and kneecap... but just like the first bullet he fired, they didn't affect him one bit, falling on the ground like rain.

'What the fuck...?!' Miz whispered in disbelief, his eyes widened with shock. Just like him, Dolph also couldn't believe his eyes. How the hell was this possible, there was no way a human being could ever survive this! Human being... Those two words stuck with him. Didn't Mr. Zayn also say something about these 'men' appearing out of nowhere in his bedroom?

Oh God.

The tall 'man' chuckled sinisterly and shook his head. 'Oh, now you've just pissed me off...' he murmured.

Then, as if he was pulled up with an invisible cord, Miz was slowly lifted into the air, higher and higher. He looked down and exclaimed in shock when he saw that he had started levitating in the air, kicking with his legs and desperately struggling to break free of the force that lifting him higher into the air. He shot at the 'man' with his empty pistol in an act of complete desperation. Dolph looked up in awe as his partner as he was now hanging in the air, squirming like a worm held between the fingertips of a curious child.

And then, with a sickening crunch, the arm that Miz used to hold his pistol was twisted in an unnatural angle.

His elbow was snapped backwards, becoming completely useless. Sharp pieces of bone could be seen sticking though the material of his sleeve as the sleeve immediately colored red. Screaming in pain, Miz dropped the pistol; his hand was the next one to be broken, his fingers bent backwards as each of them were snapped like twigs. His other arm was next, crumpled like a piece of paper while more crunches echoed through the park, making Miz scream even harder.

Dolph watched in pure horror as his partner's leg was the next limb to be broken. The sounds of each bone snapping one by one made his stomach violently clench together, he had to cover his mouth with his trembling hand to prevent himself of vomiting. Miz's leg was twisted like the leg of a ragdoll, pieces of bone pierced the leg of his trousers. Blood trickling down and dripped on the ground like a sinister kind of rain. Miz's trousers were once denim blue, but had now colored in a deep shade of red. The blonde detective would possibly never forget the sound of the bones being crushed to dust, no matter how old he would become.

Miz's other leg was bent until his knee snapped backwards and was immediately twisted in another sickening angle. Miz's scream had become softer as he was now bleeding to death. But his torture wasn't over just yet; blood trickled out of his o-shaped mouth as his ribs were broken one by one, piercing his sensitive organs.

Only when his neck was broken with a swift twist, Miz's agonizing suffering came to an end. He fell on the ground with a loud thud, falling into a puddle of his own blood.

Oh shit... Oh God... This wasn't real, this had to be some sort of sick nightmare... but it was all too real. Dolph stared at the boneless heap of human flesh that had once been the Miz. He had just witnessed his partner die in the most gruesome way possible. Zayn was right, these 'men' weren't human... they were downright fucking demonic!

A shriek made Dolph look up again; it looked like this night of horrors hadn't come to an end just yet. The ponytailed 'man' had buried his hands into the stomach of the petite woman, but to fuel his horror even more, he couldn't see any blood pouring out of the woman's stomach, let alone an injury. The woman emitted one last soft groan, rolled the eyes in the back and collapsed to the ground. Dolph thought he was going to lose his mind; the 'man' was holding a transparent replica of the woman in his hands, who had slightly slumped forward, resting her head against his shoulder.

'We got what we wanted, Konnor!' the ponytailed 'man' said. 'Let's go!'

And in the blink of an eye, a dark portal appeared behind him; without even acknowledging the shocked detective, the 'man' threw the unconscious, transparent body the woman over his shoulder and stepped through the portal. The other 'man', who was apparently Konnor, grinned at Dolph before going after his companion. The portal closed behind him as soon as he entered it, disappearing into thin air.

For a moment, it was completely quiet in the city park.

Dolph grabbed his beeper out of the pocket of his jacket, his heart pounding in his head. 'Officer down!' he hysterically shouted. 'I repeat, officer down! I need help, right now! Please, for the love of God, send help!'


	12. I Know What I Saw

**Chapter 12**

 **I Know What I Saw**

Within less than half an hour, numerous police cars and two ambulances surrounded the city park. The lights of the sirens colored the walls of the buildings red and blue alternately. The entrance of the park was taped off with bright yellow tape; these were all the ingredients to attract curious bystanders, all trying to catch a glimpse of whatever was happening in the park. The small crowd of people had to part when the paramedics had to enter. One of the paramedics, a blonde young man in his early twenties, must have been a rookie for sure; just one glance at the mangled body of Miz was enough for him to make a run to the bushes and throw up his dinner.

Sitting on a bench nearby, Dolph let his upper body slightly hunch forward as he watched everything around him unfold. Miz's body was covered up with a blanket, which was immediately stained with blood as soon as it touched him, leaving hideous red spots on the fabric. Even until backup finally arrived, blood still continued to trickle out of his dead partner's broken body, increasing the red small lake more; he felt bad for the fellas who had to clean all of that up by tomorrow. The park would be closed down for sure, it would only be opened again if the forensic team had found enough evidence.

Damn it, he never needed a cigarette this badly in his entire life. He grabbed the pack of cigarettes out of his breast pocket, opened the lid and wanted to grab a cigarette before he suddenly hesitated. He felt like he was going to be disrespectful if he would take a puff, all those people around him were doing their jobs while he was just sitting here with a cigarette between his lips. No, he was not like Miz when he was alive, he was not going to be disrespectful around the dead. Yes, his partner was a real pain in the ass in life, but the detective shouldn't lower himself to his level and show a bit of respect at least. He put the cigarette back in the pack and put it away in his breast pocket.

Not far away from Miz's body, the paramedics were busy lifting the motionless body of the young woman on the stretcher. Dolph had no idea whether she was alive or dead, but somehow he was convinced that it was the latter. Whatever the hell those monsters (those 'men' were far from human, Dolph still couldn't believe that what had happened was for real) took out of that woman's body, it must have been important to them; important enough to kill somebody, apparently. And how the hell did that strange portal appear? Was it also the doing of those bastards? Did they perhaps go to another location, or... a different world? When he was a teen, Dolph loved reading books about the supernatural and sci-fi, his favorite writer by that time had to be Stephen King without a doubt. But after he entered college and went to the police academy afterwards, he had no time and lost interest in the books. But now it looked like his previous hobby had its revenge on him for forgetting about it... Okay, thinking like that was pretty stupid, this was serious.

Who were those freaks? What were they planning to do with whatever they took out of the victim? Where did they go? So many questions... God, this was so fucked up.

A car parked near the park and Dolph heard the sound of a car door slamming shut. But it were eventually the footsteps approaching him that made the blonde detective look up. It was Chief McMahon. He did notice Dolph in the corner of his eye, but didn't acknowledge him right away; he walked straight towards Miz's body and lifted the tip of the blood-stained blanket, taking a peek. The detective saw the face of the Chief turn into a mask of complete and utter shock. McMahon looked at Dolph, looked back at the mangled body, then again at the detective, once more at Miz's body and then let go of the blanket. He walked towards Dolph, his face still expressing sheer shock.

'Christ in a hand basket, Ziggler...' he said. 'What the hell happened here?!'

'With all due respect, Chief McMahon...' the blonde detective replied. 'You wouldn't believe a word if I told you.'

'You'd better tell me! Have you seen how Mizanin's goddamn body looks like?!'

'I do sir, I have seen it all. And I know damn well what I saw.'

'Then what happened? Tell me!'

'Alright then...' Dolph took a deep breath and breathed out. What he was about to say next could very well be career suicide, but he knew what he saw was real. Those bastards were real, whatever they took out of the woman's body was real, the way Miz was murdered was real, he was everything but crazy. But he couldn't refuse to tell the true story to his boss, he wouldn't hesitate to fire him right on the spot; McMahon was the kind of guy to do that.

He had no choice.

'We were heading towards our car when we heard a woman screaming.' He pointed at the woman, who was now being carried off on top of the stretcher by the paramedics. 'We got into the park and saw two men with black leather shoulder pads and face paint harassing her. I told them to get down to the ground, but when the men refused to do so, Miz fired a shot at one of them. That bullet didn't do anything to him, I swear to God I saw it ricochet right off his shoulder. Miz launched more shots, but that's when somehow he was lifted into the air, I don't know how the hell it happened, but it did. I think those men had something to do with that. They broke his bones, Chief McMahon. They broke every single bone in his body before they dropped him to the ground like he was nothing. The other man then grabbed something out of the body of the woman, it looked... humanoid and transparent. Then some sort of portal appeared right behind him and they escaped through that. I swear to God, Chief McMahon... I'm telling the truth here!'

His boss didn't spoke a word, he just kept staring at the detective... as if he had completely lost his mind. It was exactly what Dolph was afraid of. True, nobody with the right mind would believe a story like this, but it was the truth. McMahon's eyes slightly narrowed, turning his look of disbelief into a furious glare.

'Listen right here, Ziggler...' he hissed. 'I can take a lot of jokes, but this one is downright tasteless. Do you think I'm an idiot, Ziggler?! Do you honest to God believe I would believe a bullshit story like that?! A colleague, a hard-working man, your partner has just died, there could be no way in hell some fucking ghosts or some shit have something to do with his death! And that woman may very well be on the brink of death, show some damn respect! You'd better come up with a more reasonable story the next morning, or else you're fired! Got it?!'

Chief McMahon turned around and angrily walked away from him, seething with anger.

Dolph let out a frustrated sigh and ran his fingers through his hair. Shit, this was just what he was afraid of, only even worse. The chance that he would be jobless tomorrow was huge. Then what was he supposed to do, lie about the whole thing? He wasn't joking, he wasn't lying; he knew exactly what he had seen.

All that he wanted to do right now was to go home and be with Kaitlyn. And who knows... maybe he could go look for Mr. Zayn tomorrow and apologize for not believing him at first.

He would believe him, Dolph was convinced of that.

* * *

The atmosphere in the ballroom was pleasant, nearly cozy even.

After a full hour of practicing, Bayley had managed to play 'Moonlight Sonata' without making any mistakes. And it was all thanks to the Undertaker.

She didn't feel any sadness or anxiety when she played the piano, it felt right, just like the time before her mother died. Undertaker had been surprisingly very patient with her when he taught her how to play again, he didn't lose his temper once. He even praised her a couple of times while he watched her play. Who knew that playing music would ever get these two a bit closer? Bayley had started to feel comfortable around him and for the first time during her stay in the Demon Realm, she had smiled.

And it was the demon who took her against her will who did that.

It was so strange... but on this moment, the ponytailed woman didn't resent Undertaker for one bit. It was like he had been instructing her for years, it felt so secure. He had been interested in her skills, it was because of him she managed to overcome a part of her grief. That was such a nice thing of him to do... Bayley would forever be grateful for that. Who knows, if she would ever be able to make it home again, she could buy a piano and practice every day.

'Well done, Bayley.' Undertaker said when she had reached the end of the song. 'How does it feel to be able to play again?'

'It feels... good, to be honest.' the ponytailed woman replied. 'I never thought I would be able to play piano again without remembering my mother... until now. Thank you for that, Undertaker.'

Suddenly, the demon clenched his eyes shut and grunted in pain, touching his left temple with his fingertips.

'Undertaker?' What was going on? Much to her surprise, Bayley was worried about him now. 'Are you in pain? What's the matter?'

It looked like a big headache had kicked in without warning, but it was more than just that. The Undertaker was sensing something.

Viktor and Konnor were back in the Demon Realm.

And they weren't too far away from the mansion.


	13. Corrupted

**Chapter 13**

 **Corrupted**

 **Warning: this chapter contains a part with graphic sexual content. If you do not feel comfortable with that, skip it.**

'Ugh... Oh God...' Alexa groaned.

The petite woman's head was hurting so much, she thought it was going to explode. The dizziness prevented her from opening her eyes, she was afraid she was going to faint again if she would open them. It was cold, she could feel the goose bumps appearing over her arms. She barely could remember what happened before she somehow passed out... there were only small bits and pieces of her memory, but by putting them all together she could remember that she was walking through the park before everything became a blur. A jolt of pain traveled through Alexa's head, making her emit a soft groan.

'Hey Vik, I think she finally woke up!' a male voice close to her called out.

It suddenly all came back to her now in a flash.

Alexa softly gasped and opened her eyes. Hearing that voice made her remember everything now; she was stalked and attacked by the 'men' who hurt Bayley, the gruesome death of the police officer... and the moment where the ponytailed man put his hands in her stomach without causing any injury at all. That's when she passed out, she was sure of that.

Only now she could feel she was sitting against something rough and hard; a tree, maybe? She was sitting on grass, she felt the blades of grass tickling against her thighs. Catching a small glimpse of her surroundings, Alexa quickly realized she was in a forest. This didn't look like the city park at all, she had to be somewhere else. She must've been out of the city... Just then, she felt something cold and hard ensnaring her wrists; looking behind, she realized that her hands had been tied together behind her back with a thick, iron chain. The petite woman's heart skipped a beat; oh dear God, she was kidnapped! Alexa tried to move her hands in an attempt to break free from her restrains, but it was impossible. The more she struggled, the more painful her wrists became.

Someone was staring at her, she could feel it in her bones. Looking to her left, Alexa's presumption was proven right.

The 'man' with the mohawk, the taller one of the monstrous duo, was looking down at the petite woman with a dark grin on his face, amused by the sight. Alexa let out a gasp and scooted away from him. 'Get away from me!' she shrieked. 'Don't touch me!'

'Come on sugar, don't be like that...' the tall 'man' said, chuckling as if he had just told a pleasant joke.

'Don't you dare to call me 'sugar', you bastard!' Alexa snarled.

'Now now, baby doll...' a different male voice said, which sounded more familiar to the petite woman. 'That's no way to react to a little compliment...'

Somebody jumped from one of the tree's thick branches and landed right next to Alexa, making her scoot back to the her previous spot. It was the ponytailed man who grabbed her when Konnor killed that police officer, the one who made her lose consciousness... Just like his companion, he had a grin on his face that made Alexa feel everything but at ease.

'Please pardon us for the sudden discomfort.' he said. He sounded polite, but it was obviously acted. 'My name is Viktor, and this guy right here is Konnor. The place you're now in is the Demon Realm, a place inhabited by all kinds of demons. And we need you to do something for us...'

The fake politeness had faded away during the last words he spoke, making him sound nothing more but sinister.

Demon Realm... Demons... Alexa's head felt like spinning. But instead of downright fear, she felt nothing more but anger.

'So you're the ones who stalked Bayley!' the petite woman shouted, glaring at the demons. 'You fucking bastards! Do you have any idea of what you made her go through?!'

Viktor loudly laughed. 'Looks like you're smarter than you look like! You're right, it was us who were responsible for that. I have to say, she had to be the most fun out of all our victims to terrorize.'

'Why her? What did she ever do to you?!'

'Let's just say that she was on the wrong place at the wrong time... but that pleased us more than you can ever imagine, Alexa.'

'How do you know my name?!'

'Bayley said that between her hysterical sobbing when we paid her a little visit at your home... That dumb bitch could hide everywhere she wanted, we would always find her no matter what...'

'Don't speak of her like that! I know it was you two who put her in a coma!'

Viktor shook his head, refusing to keep his eyes off Alexa for one second. She was truly a tasty bit, he couldn't wait to turn her into their puppet. 'I'm afraid you're wrong in that, baby doll...' he said. 'But I can tell you that Bayley is in the Demon Realm as well... and you're the one who's going to help us find her.'

'Fuck you! You leave her alone! I'd rather die than do that for you!'

'Oh really? That would be a shame. I think she would really appreciate it if she would see her dearest friend...'

The ponytailed demon knelt down in front of Alexa and roughly grabbed the petite woman by her jaw, forcing her to look him in the eyes. Her glare disappeared as fright filled her eyes. Oh no... what were they going to do to her?! Her blue eyes met Viktor's, whose gaze almost looked like to have a hypnotizing effect on her. Sky blue met midnight blue. Alexa wanted to look away, but she couldn't; it terrified her even more.

Viktor grinned with devious glee, more than ready for what was going to happen next.

The ponytailed demon leaned in and forcefully pressed his lips against Alexa's, earning a stifled scream from her. The petite woman widened her eyes with shock and tried to break free from the non-consensual kiss, but without avail. Viktor's grip was almost painful, it was too strong to escape from that. The ponytailed demon had closed his eyes, as if he had given into the kiss already. The stifled screams turned into muffled whimpers as Alexa realized there was no way to escape. Tears of shame and disgust welled up in her eyes. Just then, Viktor slightly pulled down her jaw, forcing her mouth open. He slid his tongue inside her mouth, brushing against her tongue, quickly dominating it. All that Alexa could do now was letting out more muffled whimpers. God, she wanted to gag right now. Her head suddenly started to feel light, as if she was intoxicated by the rough nature of the lustful sign of endearment. No... there was no way in hell she could ever give into this! This was horrible, this was disgusting... but why did she want to close her eyes? Her whimpers became softer as Viktor's tongue continued to dominate hers.

With a wet pop, the ponytailed demon ended the kiss, allowing the petite woman to gasp for air. Her lips were red and felt sore due to the force of the kiss, her legs were trembling at this point.

'She's ready for it, Konnor.' Viktor said, panting through his nose. 'Feel free to join in.'

'Oh, I will, Viktor...' the taller demon replied, the grin he had earlier on his face had now become perverted. He firmly squeezed his crotch, his pants had become quite tight while he watched his companion kissing their victim. 'I gladly will.'

Alexa widened her eyes with fright. 'Wait... what... what are you going to do to me?!'

Konnor knelt down on Alexa's left and looked at Viktor for a second. The ponytailed demon nodded, allowing the taller demon to tell her about their true intentions.

'We are going to make love to that sweet body of yours...' Konnor explained with lustful glee. 'And after that... you will never be the same again. I promise you that.'

Upon hearing that, Alexa's arms started to tremble as well. 'N-no... please, I'm begging you... don't!' she whimpered.

But now it was Konnor's turn to have a taste of the petite woman's lips. The tall demon grabbed Alexa by the back of her head, turning it so she would face him. Once more, she was forced to kiss a man she despised. Konnor's kiss was slightly more gentle than Viktor's, but it was just as forceful. At the same time, Alexa felt Viktor planting his lips on the side of her neck, licking and slightly biting the sensitive skin, decorating it with deep red bruises. Alexa whimpered, realizing that resistance was futile. She hoped from the bottom of her heart somebody would find her and stop all of this; she never wished for Sami to be here so badly in her entire life.

'Sami... Help me...' she thought, hoping he somehow would hear her, enter the Demon Realm and rescue her.

But nobody was going to save her now.

Viktor disconnected his lips from the petite woman's neck and traveled his hand over her breasts, making her emit another whimper. He pulled up her dark blue tank top, revealing the sensitive globes of flesh in front of his eyes. Alexa squeezed her eyes shut in shame, she was so embarrassed. He licked his lips in desire; he couldn't wait to get his hands on them. He lowered himself and caught Alexa's right nipple between his lips, licking, sucking and gently biting on the small nub of flesh. On that moment, Konnor needed some air, abruptly breaking the kiss, allowing Alexa to let out a cry. Her cheeks had colored bright red, her eyes were still closed shut and she was trashing her head from left to right. The ponytailed demon glanced up for a moment, admiring his work. Yes, this is exactly how he wanted to see her; on the brink of giving in.

Alexa didn't want to feel it, but she felt small shocks traveling from her nipple to her mind, making her head feel lighter once more. Was it Viktor who was doing this? She didn't want to give in this lustful treatment, she really didn't... but it was so hard not to do it. With his right hand, Viktor massaged Alexa's left breast, making her try her best to hold back a moan. More small shocks went through her body, making it harder and harder for her to refuse it. Konnor had moved his lips to the petite woman's neck, leaving more bruises on it. And much to Alexa's anguish, this also produced the little pleasurable shocks.

The ponytailed demon let go of Alexa's breast and let his hand go down her body, his fingertips touching her abdomen as he did so. He pulled up her skirt and dug two fingers into her panties, touching the most sensitive spot of her body. Alexa let out a shaky cry and slightly arched her back as Viktor now started to rub the small bundle of nerves. While his lips were still closed around her nipple, the ponytailed demon curled the corners of his mouth into a lustful smile. She was already wet, he felt it on his fingertips. It was impossible now to ignore the electricity-like shocks, which had become heavier and pleasurable. Her clit was being rubbed raw at this point, Alexa tried to hold it back, but failed miserably; she let out a loud moan when Viktor's fingers caused another jolt of pleasure to spark through her loins.

'That's right, baby doll...' the ponytailed demon said when his lips finally separated from her nipple, his rough voice teeming with lust. 'Moan for us...'

He slipped one finger deep inside her, thrusting it in and out, making her arch her back once more and emit another cry. Damn, she even looked more attractive now that she was struggling more than ever to prevent herself of falling for the nearly torturous pleasure. Viktor pulled his finger out and removed his hand from Alexa's panties; his finger was drenched with her wet, hot juice. Viktor was completely taken over by his own dark lust as he brought the wet digit close to his mouth. He lapped the juice of his finger, enjoying the bitter taste on his tongue. He wanted more, much more.

'You're delicious, Alexa...' he said. 'Now, allow me to make you feel real good.'

Viktor slowly moved down, letting the tip of his tongue slide over the petite woman's abdomen as he did so. A shiver went through Alexa's body; what was he going to do now? Konnor had stopped decorating her neck any further with bruises and watched with a grin on his face how his companion pulled down the petite woman's skirt, simply tossing it aside. Her panties followed soon after. Viktor spread Alexa's legs and spread the folds with his fingers, revealing the wet pink flesh for him. He licked his lips in excitement like a predator. He wrapped his strong arms around Alexa's thighs, making sure she wouldn't be able to struggle. The ponytailed demon leaned in closer, his hot breath washing over the sensitive flesh.

Alexa immediately realized what was going to happen. 'Wait... don't...'

Closing his eyes, Viktor ran his tongue over the pinkness before fully burying his mouth against it. Alexa's breath hitched before she let out a high-pitched cry. She arched her back and tried to move her hips, but Viktor was holding her down with all his strength. His tongue touched her everywhere, allowing her bitter juice to trickle down his throat. The demon circled the tip of tongue around her clit, sending heavy jolts of pleasure through her lower body. Alexa couldn't help but let out another moan. Damn it, she wanted resist it so badly... but her body was mercilessly betraying her.

'Hey, don't think you can have all the pleasure.'

Konnor had stood up and pulled down his pants, revealing his fully erected manhood. He knelt down next to the petite woman again, the tip of his manhood poking against the corner of her mouth.

'Suck it.'

Alexa really didn't want to do it, she was still struggling to not give into the pleasure. But when the tip of Viktor's tongue flicked over the bundle of nerves once more, she failed to hold back another cry of ecstasy. Konnor didn't hesitate to take advantage of that moment; he shoved his erection into her open mouth, earning a muffled exclamation from her.

'Yesss...' the taller demon hissed when he felt the warm wetness around the shaft. He began thrusting in and out of her mouth, her moans vibrating around him only made him want to go on more.

Alexa's head felt like spinning; her body wanted her to give in, but at the same time, she struggled to not lose her mind. She had never felt so much pleasure in her life, and it were the monsters who stalked her best friend who did this to her... They were torturing her with pleasure, they wanted her to break. She could feel the muscles in her lower body tightening together after a while, it wouldn't last long anymore, oh God, she couldn't hold it back...

One more flick of Viktor's tongue over her sweet spot made her finally fall over the edge. Alexa's orgasm crashed over her like an avalanche, making white bright spots cloud her sight. She moaned as loud as she could, the vibrations almost sending Konnor over the edge as well, but he quickly pulled out in time. Alexa's cheeks had colored bright red, sweat ran down her temples and her chest was heaving as she was panting for air. Viktor stopped and glanced up at her, licking his lips clean. He grinned in triumph at the wonderful sight.

'Alright, let's get her up, Konnor.' he said, his voice hoarse with lust.

His companion nodded and grabbed Alexa, whose legs were still trembling from the intense orgasm, underneath her armpits and pulled her up, forcing her to stand on her feet. Trickles of saliva mixed with her own juice flowed down her inner thighs. Viktor got up as well, pulling down his pants to reveal his fully-hardened manhood. He only knelt down for a moment to put his lower arms under her knees and lift her legs up, positioning her like she was in some sort of swing. Alexa's sandals slipped off her feet, falling to the ground. The tip of Viktor's manhood was pressing against her wet entrance.

'Please...' Alexa whimpered. 'No more...'

With one swift upward thrust of his hips, Viktor penetrated her with full force. Alexa slammed her eyes shut and cried out at the sudden intrusion, the jolts were now stronger than ever.

'How is she, Vik?' Konnor asked.

'She may not be a virgin, but she is just as tight as one!' the ponytailed demon replied with a grin. He started thrusting his hips in a steady pace, practically ramming his manhood in and out of her. Pleasure flared like a wildfire inside Alexa, making it truly impossible now not to give in. This felt so good, the pleasure completely numbed her mind... she finally surrendered herself to her own lust and the lust of the demons.

'Ah... Yes... Please don't stop!' the petite woman moaned, rolling her eyes to the back of her skull.

'That's what I like to hear, baby doll!' Viktor chuckled. 'Here is a reward for you...' He snapped his fingers and the chains that bound Alexa's hands together fell on the ground, freeing her from her restrains. Alexa put her hands behind Viktor's neck, making him able to thrust deeper inside her, making her emit more sweet sounds of pleasure. Alexa's mouth had curled into a lustful smile, she didn't care about anything else in the world anymore; the only thing that mattered her now was the pleasure.

'I know exactly where I'm going to put mine...' Konnor mumbled; he too wanted a piece of the action. Without warning, he buried two fingers inside Alexa's ass, making her briefly snap out of her lustful daze and yelp in pain.

'It hurts!' she exclaimed, clinging onto Viktor as if her life depended on it.

'Don't you worry now, baby doll.' the ponytailed demon replied. 'It may hurt for now, but you will feel good soon enough...'

The mixture between saliva and bitter juice made the perfect lubricant. Konnor made scissoring motions with his thick fingers, stretching her tight hole. Tears of pain welled up in the petite woman's eyes. 'Viktor... please...'

'Please what, baby doll?'

'Please... make the pain go away!'

'As you wish, my dear Alexa.'

The ponytailed demon moved his hips faster, replacing most of the pain fade away. Alexa's mouth curled back into a smile again, a satisfied sigh escaping her lips. Thank God, the pleasure was back. Konnor finished his preparation, pulling his fingers out and lined up his manhood against her ass. Viktor stopped for a little moment to let his companion go inside her with ease. The taller demon slowly pushed in, penetrating her bit by bit until he was fully in. Alexa emitted another cry, she never had been so filled in her entire life... and it felt absolutely wonderful.

Viktor and Konnor were now both thrusting their hips in a fast pace, pounding inside her two entrances. The pleasure and lust flared uncontrollably, causing Alexa to moan and cry as loud as possible. Her cheeks were bright red, tears of pleasure filled the corners of her eyes, a thin stream of saliva trickled down her jaw line and she smiled in pure delight. She had never felt something like this before, it was almost inhuman... and she loved every second of it. That's right, she didn't deny it; she loved this. But not only she was enjoying this; Konnor and Viktor felt the pleasure burning in their bodies, making both of them grunt in ecstasy. They couldn't remember the last time they mercilessly fucked a target in order to brainwash her... but damn, it felt so good to do it again. A thin sheet of sweat appeared all over their bodies. Alexa let go of Viktor's neck with one hand, put it behind Konnor's head and pulled his face closer to hers, running her tongue over his lips. The taller demon gladly accepted the gesture and brushed his tongue against hers, clashing together in a passionate dance. Alexa broke off the lustful kiss and pressed her lips against Viktor's, who immediately dove his tongue into her mouth and swirled around her tongue. Alexa wished this would go on forever and ever.

But it didn't last long before the demons couldn't hold back anymore.

Both letting out a pleasured roar, they released themselves deep inside Alexa, completely filling her up. The petite woman let out a shaky moan as she felt thick, hot liquid washing through her insides, grinning in satisfaction.

They pulled out of her and let her fall to the ground with a thud, but Alexa didn't even feel it. Lying on the grass, she was still trembling of the pleasure, softly panting for air. She had never felt so good in her entire life, so satisfied. She closed her eyes and hoped Viktor and Konnor would do it all over with her again...

But with so much pleasure came a big price.

A huge pain traveled throughout her entire body, making her snap out of her lustful daze. She opened her eyes and screamed in agony, this had to be the worst pain she had ever felt. She couldn't feel anything else other than the torturous pain taking over her, making her body spaz uncontrollably. She had fallen right into the two demons' trap; this was exactly what they wanted. Something dark was spreading throughout her body, she could feel it. The dark force reached every part of her, slowly climbing to her mind. It finally reached it, replacing all the memories Alexa had of her previous life and filling it with nothing but blackness. Her mind went completely blank. Dark spots clouded her sight, growing bigger and bigger... until she lost consciousness.

Konnor and Viktor, who had put on their pants again in the meanwhile, had watched it all and chuckled with sadistic amusement when the process had ended.

'It's done.' Viktor said. 'She's fully under our control.'

Alexa had turned into the demons' puppet.

A puppet they could control at will.

And the task they wanted her to do was without a doubt deadly.


	14. Do You Believe Me Now?

**Chapter 14**

 **Do You Believe Me Now?**

Last night he finally managed to get some more sleep despite the stress.

Sami was surprised the story of the blogger actually didn't follow him in his dreams, it was that shocking to him. He could imagine the poor fella locked up in a padded room, stuck in a straitjacket and raving madly until the orderlies in stainless white coats, bleached for a hundred times after every time they treated a patient, came in and injected a needle with some tranquilizing liquid in his neck. Hell, was he even still alive now or did he hang himself in his room with his blanket? The redhead hoped he was alright.

Sami had searched for more clues on the Internet after reading the terrifying blog, but unfortunately he couldn't find anything else useful. But one thing was for sure; nothing would stop those bastards to get what they wanted. All the redhead wanted right now was to find them and make them pay for what they had done to Bayley. They had to hold the answer to wake her up again, he was convinced of it. Hell, he would even hurt them if he had to; he didn't care how badly he had to hurt them in order to get what he wanted, they deserved all the pain they would receive, as long as he would be able to bring back his girlfriend.

The first thing Sami did after he woke up was checking his cell phone. The redhead frowned in surprise when he looked at the bright screen. Strange... Alexa still hadn't let anything know from her since yesterday. She had told him she would go to the library and let him know if she had found something, but she hadn't said anything; she didn't even leave a little text. Did her cell phone maybe broke down? Then it could very well be that she had send him an e-mail. But Sami was proven wrong when he opened his e-mail after he washed his face; the inbox was completely empty. An unpleasant feeling crept up inside the redhead's stomach. Did something happen to her? He hadn't heard any reports of accidents in traffic or any other kind of news involving a young woman yesterday. Sami noticed he was already thinking of the worst case scenario, he knew he shouldn't be thinking like that. If he would become paranoid over every little thing, he would get even further away from the 'men' if he would fall into paranoia.

After eating his breakfast, he brushed his teeth until thin trickles of blood emerging from his gums and mixed with the foaming toothpaste, dressed himself up and grabbed his cell phone. Even now, Alexa hadn't said anything. Maybe if he feel more at ease if he would give her a phone call, hopefully she would pick up. He dialed Alexa's number and pressed the cell phone against his ear. But as the seconds passed by, Sami knew his friend wasn't going to pick up anytime soon. He decided to leave her a voice message.

'Hey Alexa, it's me...' he said after the beep. 'I hope everything is fine with you, since you haven't said anything yet. If you hear this, please let me know something, okay? I will visit Bayley again at one o'clock, hope you can make it too. I have found something on the Internet that may lead to those fuckers, I will tell you all about it. Bye.'

Sami let out a worried sigh when he ended the voice message. 'Please say something...' he softly mumbled.

* * *

It was a fifteen-minute drive to St. John Hospital, if traffic wouldn't be a total bitch to drive through today he would make it in time. A few hours had passed and Alexa still hadn't called back or even left a message. Sami had tried to ignore the uncomfortable feeling in his stomach and the paranoia in the back of his head, but over the time it had only grown stronger, no matter how hard he tried to push it all away.

The redhead originally planned to go to the library after the visiting hour has ended to look for more information, but if Alexa still wouldn't reply to his voice message at the end of the visiting hour, he would drive to her apartment complex to check on her. There was also a chance she had been going for a drink last night and was still sleeping, there were days she would actually do that; perhaps this was just one of those days. Despite everything that had happened, Sami smiled and shook his head. That was so typical of Alexa.

Traffic wasn't surprisingly that bad and Sami arrived at the hospital just in time before the visiting hour started. The parking lot of St. John Hospital had become much more crowded than yesterday, since today was Saturday; most of the cars parked here had to belong to the visitors. Like the days before, the sun was shining brightly, spreading another pleasant temperature over the city, but Sami barely felt it.

When the redhead enter the hospital, he had to step aside for a moment to let a hysterically sobbing woman in her forties pass by him. Damn, she must've received some bad news... but she wasn't the one he should be worried about now. Sami walked towards the elevators and patiently waited for one to come down to this floor. The metal doors finally opened with a shrill creaking noise and an old couple got out, leaving Sami alone to travel to the fifth floor. He got inside and went up. Hopefully the doctors would have some positive news about her condition. Once the elevator had arrived at the fifth floor and the doors opened, Sami got out and walked through the hallway, knowing the way to Bayley's room by heart now. It was less than twenty steps away from the elevator and a turn to the left; he would always remember it, for as long as he lived.

But he had to halt for a moment when a door on his left, not far away from Bayley's room, suddenly opened. A young blonde nurse, the same nurse he and Alexa had seen yesterday, quickly exited the room and walked to another room, holding a schedule in her hands. Click-click-click, the high heels of her white shoes went; she probably wore those ridiculously high heels to mask her petite height. But in her haste, she forget to shut the door behind her, revealing the female patient that had arrived at the hospital last night to everybody who would walk past the slightly opened door. Sami wanted to continue, but when he caught a short glimpse at the platinum blonde hair with blue tips of the patient, he could feel his heart dropping to his feet.

Oh God.

No.

It couldn't be.

Alexa was lying in a hospital bed, with an oxygen mask attached to her mouth and her eyes closed, just like Bayley. The redhead's face turned as pale as a sheet as he realized his paranoia had been justified. Oh God, no please, not she too...! 'Oh fuck... Alexa!'

Sami stepped inside the room and within three steps he was standing next to the petite woman's bed. His heart had climbed to his head and was pounding like crazy as he shook her shoulder, praying to God and everything else that was holy that she would hear him and would wake up.

'Alexa, please, wake up!' the redhead whispered with a hoarse voice. But his friend didn't open her eyes, lying still like a doll. Burying his fingers in his short red hair, Sami thought he was finally going to lose it. Alexa was in a coma, just like Bayley, he was convinced of that. So that's why she didn't respond to him... Jesus fucking Christ. She was the only one who believed his story, damn it, who was going to help him now?! Never in his entire life, Sami had felt this desperate.

He wanted to go look for the nurse to ask her if she was indeed in a coma. Sami got out of the room and looked around him. He spotted the nurse coming out of another room, but just when he wanted to approach her, he felt someone tapping on his shoulder.

'Excuse me, Mr. Zayn?'

Sami immediately turned around, recognizing that voice through the haze of panic that made his ears ringing. The surprises didn't seem to end today; it was the same blonde detective he had spoken to the night Bayley was put into a coma.

'Detective Ziggler?' he asked in confusion. 'What are you doing here?'

'I'm here to talk to you, Mr. Zayn.' Dolph replied. 'Is... everything alright with you?'

'No, I'm not alright at this moment!' Sami stressfully shook his head. 'I just found out my friend is in a coma as well, but I guess you wouldn't believe me if I told you who are responsible for this.' When Sami had returned home that morning, his fate in the police had dropped massively, causing him to resent the people with the badge who were supposed to help citizens in need.

Dolph had expected a reply like this, and he didn't judge the redhead for it. 'Believe me when I say this, Mr. Zayn but... I actually do believe you now.'

Sami blinked his eyes in surprise. 'What? But... why?' Just then, he noticed the detective's douchebag partner who had cruelly belittled him wasn't with him. Dolph noticed the look on the redhead's face.

'Don't worry, my partner Miz won't be here anymore. Our partnership has come to... quite a gruesome end, to say the least.'

'What do you mean? What happened?'

Dolph looked around him, making sure nobody would be eavesdropping their conversation. The coast was clear, nobody else was in the hallway except for them. 'I have seen them too.' the blonde detective spoke. 'The men you had described that morning? The men with the black shoulder pads and the face paint? I have seen them, I have seen them killing my partner right in front of my eyes.'

The redhead widened his eyes in disbelief. 'Jesus...' he said. 'I... I'm sorry for your loss, detective.'

'Please, you can call me Dolph. Thanks, but... I'm not that heartbroken about his death, to be honest.'

'I see. But you have seen them, right? So does that mean you believe me now?'

The blonde detective nodded. 'Yes. And I'm afraid this lady here was involved in the incident as well.' He pointed at Alexa through the door opening. 'She was in the park when she was attacked by those bastards. Me and Miz tried to save her, but after Miz was killed in the process, one of those 'men' took something out of her body and disappeared through some kind of portal. Do you know this woman, Mr. Zayn?'

So it were those bastards who were behind this after all... Sami could feel his blood boiling, but kept his cool for now. 'Yeah... her name is Alexa, she is a good friend of mine. And you can call me Sami, if you want to.'

'Sami it is, then. I have reported my story to my boss, but I believe you can guess what kind of reaction I got...'

'He didn't believe you either?'

'No.'

'So that makes the two of us then.'

'I'm afraid so, Mr. Za... I mean Sami, pardon me. But to come to the point... I want nothing more but to find those bastards and arrest them, I figure you want to do the same, right?'

'Yeah, I want to make them pay for what they did to Bayley and Alexa.'

'Then let me help you find them. I want justice for these girls, I want to prevent those fuckers of making any more victims. I want to help you as well, Sami. If we work together, the chance we will find them and possibly find a way to bring back your friend and girlfriend will be bigger. So what do you say, Sami? Do you want to team up?'

For a moment, Sami hesitated. This was the same detective who didn't believe his story earlier, but he quickly realized that didn't matter anymore. He had seen those bastards too, he watched his partner being killed by them and just like him, his story wasn't believed. And besides, he could really use some help now that Alexa was in a coma. This guy was a cop, which made an alliance with him even more useful; he could perhaps find even more information than he was able to, he could maybe find more clues and connections.

Forming an alliance with Dolph was the right thing to do.

Sami shook the detective's hand, sealing the deal. 'Yeah. Let's do it. For them.'

'Damn right. But right now I have to go back to the police station, but in the meanwhile, I will take a look in some cold case files to see if I can find a connection. I will let you know if I find something, okay?'

'Alright, I will go to the library later on to see if I can get more information as well. Do you want my phone number? We can keep in contact like that.'

'Yeah, good idea. You can have mine too.'

The two men traded their phone numbers. 'I will talk to you as soon as I can.' Dolph said. 'Good luck, Sami.'

'You too, Dolph.'

The detective turned around and wanted to walk away, but Sami had one more question to ask.

'Wait, hold on a second!' the redhead called out. 'How did you know I was here in the first place?'

Dolph turned around, facing him. A smile was displayed on his tanned face. 'I kind of figured out you would be here. It was quite an easy guess.'

Then he walked away, heading towards the elevators.


	15. Familiar Faces

**Chapter 15**

 **Familiar Faces**

When Bayley woke up the next morning, she actually felt a lot better than she did yesterday. It must've been around eleven o'clock in the morning.

It was really nice to play piano with Undertaker last night, he was surprisingly a great companion to her. Thanks to him, she had found back her love and talent of playing piano, but most importantly, he helped her getting over a part of her grief. The ponytailed woman appreciated it from the demon, she really did. But their moment of peacefulness was promptly halted when Undertaker looked like he had a major migraine. Bayley couldn't help but worry about him at that moment. After she had asked what was the matter with him, Undertaker had send her to her bedroom, telling her that it was late and she needed some well-deserved sleep.

It was so weird... She never thought she would feel any pity for her kidnapper. He had ripped her away from her home world, separated her from her beloved Sami, practically forcing her to absorb a part of his powers and take part of a fight against the two demons who had tormented her mercilessly. And yet, last night, they made music together like they had known each other for years. Undertaker didn't look like a threatening demon to her, but more like an old friend she hadn't seen in years. Even when she was lying in her bed, the ponytailed woman wondered how Undertaker was doing downstairs. Did they have aspirin in the Demon Realm? What a silly question, it made Bayley snigger despite her worry. Before she managed to fall asleep, the ponytailed woman hoped Undertaker would be okay.

After Bayley dressed herself up, she took a look though the large window of her bedroom. The sight looked absolutely wonderful in the morning sun, it made her feel like she was on holiday in a far away European country, Germany perhaps. The trees of the woods were lively green, the mountain decorated the horizon like motionless giants. It was the perfect weather to go for a little stroll. Bayley hadn't been outside for a day now, some fresh air would do her some good for sure; hopefully the air in the Demon Realm would be just the same as the air in the Mortal Realm. Just then, Bayley remembered something important.

'Oh yeah... shucks.'

She didn't have shoes. When she escaped Sami's apartment after Viktor and Konnor attacked her boyfriend, she didn't have any time at all to jus calmly put on her shoes before escaping the demons. She had been taken to the Demon Realm without shoes, she had been wandering around the mansion with her socks on the entire time. Bayley decided not to make her stroll too long.

The ponytailed woman wasn't sure whether Undertaker was already up or not. Hell, she wasn't even sure if he slept at all. Maybe she should leave a little note for him so he wouldn't be worried about her. Was there something in the mansion she could write with? Bayley looked through the drawers of the dressing table and the wardrobe, but couldn't find a piece of paper nor a pen. Perhaps she didn't have to leave a note after all, since her walk was going to be a short one. She would be back in time before he would even notice it.

Bayley untied her hair, quickly brushed it with the silver brush lying on the dressing table, tied her hair back into a ponytail, put her headband on top of her head (she was surprised it didn't break despite everything she had been through so far) and exited her bedroom. She walked through the hallway, got down the stairs and headed towards the front door. The ponytailed woman turned around and looked around her for a little moment. She didn't feel any cold or eyes following her with every step; Undertaker wasn't up yet, she was sure of it.

'I'll be going now, Undertaker...' Bayley spoke softly, as if the demon could somehow still hear her. 'But don't worry, I'll be back in a minute.' She opened the door and left the mansion, closing the door behind her with a soft click.

Outside, the young woman was greeted by the pleasant temperature of the morning sun, warming her bare arms and face. The air in the Demon Realm was just as good as the air in her home world, much to Bayley's relief. She didn't know the world outside the mansion looked so wonderful, Undertaker was lucky to live on a place like this. The mansion was build in the middle of the woods, from the outside Bayley noticed how huge it actually was; it was two floors high, this mansion must've been build a very long time ago. A bird could be hear singing its high-pitched song in the far distance, for the rest it was completely quiet around the mansion. The peacefulness only fueled the feeling that she was on a holiday. Bayley sat down on the small but wide staircase that lead to the front door and took a deep breath of the fresh air. Her mouth curled into a relaxed smile.

'Bayley?'

Upon hearing the faint, but familiar voice calling her name in the distance, the smile disappeared from Bayley's face as she widened her eyes is surprise and got up. She could swear to God she recognized that voice, it was so hard to believe her ears. Oh God... was she really here?

'Alexa?' she called out loudly. It remained quiet for a little while. The silence made Bayley doubt herself; she had no idea of what was possible in the supernatural world of the Demon Realm, what if the woods were truly enchanted and made her somehow believe she heard Alexa's voice?

'Bayley? Are you here?!'

Alexa's voice had become louder, as if she had gotten closer to her. Perking her ears, the ponytailed woman heard footsteps in the distance, which got more and more louder as they approached Bayley. Her heart felt like it made a little jump in excitement; could it really be?

And it looked like the Demon Realm hadn't been tricking her at al. Alexa, seemingly unharmed, appeared from behind the tree line, gasping when she saw her friend standing in front of the mansion. Bayley blinked her eyes, but the sight was real; Alexa was really there. The ponytailed woman exclaimed her friend's name rushed towards her as fast as she could and once she reached her, wrapped her arms around her body, pulling her in for a hug.

'Oh thank God, it really is you!' she exclaimed, tears of relief welling up in her eyes. 'How did you get here? Are you alright?'

'Yeah, I'm fine.' Alexa replied. 'I managed to find a way into the Demon Realm after you were taken, I have been searching for you for days! It was horrible, but now... I've finally found you. And that's worth all the trouble!' The petite woman hugged her friend back, tears welling up in her eyes as well. 'Listen, I know how to get out of here!'

'Really? How?'

'There is a portal that leads to the Mortal Realm in the middle of the woods, it's a bit far away from here but if we hurry, we can get there in time. It's our only way to get out of here, Bayley! If you come with me, we can go back home together!'

A way back home... did she just hear that right?! Bayley wanted nothing more than to go home and get her life back to normal, but something inside her stopped her from following her friend into the woods. What about Undertaker? He looked like he was in a lot of pain last night, was it right to leave him without knowing how he was doing now? Besides... they had such a good time together last night in the ballroom. Leaving the demon felt like... betraying him, somehow. Bayley frowned in indecisiveness and looked back at the mansion, hoping she would catch a sign. But nothing happened; the ponytailed woman didn't even feel the cold Undertaker spread when he was near.

'Look, the portal will disappear if we won't step through it in time!' Alexa said, trying to convince her friend. 'We have to go, now!'

Bayley didn't say anything for a little while, staring at the mansion. Then she finally turned around.

'Okay. I'll come with you.'

'Awesome! Let's go!'

Together with Alexa, Bayley walked away from the mansion, heading into the woods. But it didn't feel right at all for her; she felt like such a goddamn coward, running away from her problems. She was so scared of taking a part of the Undertaker's powers, she had no idea what would happen to her if she would do that. She wanted her life back, that's why she decided to go with Alexa. Bayley hoped from the bottom of her heart that Undertaker would understand when they walked deeper into the woods.

However, unbeknownst to her, the story of the portal was a complete lie.

Behind her, Alexa devilishly grinned from ear to ear. Everything was going according to plan... perfect.

Bayley was absolutely unaware about her 'friend's' true, dark intentions.

* * *

'Let's see... where do I start?' Sami mumbled to himself when he entered the library.

His voice wasn't even that loud, but it was enough for the lady behind the circulation desk to rudely hush him. The redhead cocked his eyebrow in indignation. 'Jeez lady, nothing to get worked up about!' he thought.

He mentally shrugged it off and headed over to the supernatural section of the library. It was very likely he could possibly find something over there, maybe he could find more information about what he and Dolph were dealing with at the moment. Those bastards were everything except human, that was for sure. Now that Alexa was in a coma as well, Sami had to hurry before they would hurt anyone else. The need to hunt them down was stronger than ever now, those fuckers had to pay for what they had done.

Sami's eyes scanned the titles of the books in the shelves one by one, but until now there was nothing very useful. Those bastards weren't vampires, zombies and definitely not werewolves. However, the last book at the far right of the upper shelf caught the redhead's attention. 'Demonology', was the title of the book with the dark grey cover. There was something about the title that drew the redhead to the book, he somehow felt that this might very well hold all the answers he had been looking for all this time. He grabbed it off the shelf and looked at the front; an illustration of a demonic eye looked right at him.

He sat down at the table and opened the book. Most of the pages had prints of ancient illustrations depicting strange monstrous creatures tormenting people or objects created hundreds of years ago, like statues, talismans and jugs. But what definitely disturbed the redhead the most were the paragraphs he read. There were entire cults built around some demons, in which followers were forced to perform human sacrifices to please their unholy deity. There was even one cult that believed the demon they worshipped would only treat them kindly if the people sacrificed one newborn baby per half a year. It was truly gruesome information, but not that useful.

But, when Sami turned a couple of pages, he finally found what he had been looking for.

 _'It was (and is still) believed by some that some demons are able to travel to the human world and back. While some demons may seem benign and not mean any harm, other demons can be malevolent and sometimes considered very dangerous. Demons are believed to have many powers, like superhuman powers, telekinesis, aura reading, immunity to things that is lethal to most humans (bullets, poison, falling off great heights, etc.), pyrokinesis, telepathy, fusing themselves with surroundings, mind control and energy draining. There are demons that have a need to feed of the life force of human beings to their preference, like virgins, people who are dying, children, infants or the mentally ill. This could either be for strength, increased lifespan or other reasons. There are even some documented cases of demons taking the souls of their victims to their own world.'_

'Holy hell...' Sami whispered.

This was it. He recognized every word of this in the bastards that turned not only his life, but also the lives of Bayley and Alexa upside down. Demons... good God almighty, he was dealing with demons.

He had to tell Dolph about this as soon as possible.


	16. Goodbye, Dear Friend

**Chapter 16**

 **Goodbye, Dear Friend**

'How far is the portal, Alexa?'

'Trust me, we're almost there, it's not far anymore!'

Dear goodness, she had been saying that over and over again during these last two hours. Bayley's legs had become sore from all the walking, but Alexa didn't give her a chance to sit down and have a little rest. They had been walking through the woods for two hours straight now, but there was still no sign of the portal Alexa had been speaking of. She had said it wasn't far away... but Bayley heavily started doubting that now.

The further they went into the woods, the darker it became. The branches of the trees clouded the sky, making it impossible for sunlight to illuminate her surroundings. It almost gave her the feeling the sun had already gone down, even though it was still daytime. Due to the lack of sunlight, the temperature had pretty much dropped as well, turning the woods into a shady, cold place nobody in with the right mind would dare to enter, not even the birds dared to sing here. Goosebumps appeared all over Bayley's arms as she looked around her. She regretted not bringing her shoes with her; she would often step on a sharp small stick or a tiny pebble, piercing through the thin material of her dirtied socks, causing her to the clench her toes in pain.

Alexa barely seemed to care about her friend's condition, looking behind her for only five or six times during the whole walk and only speaking whenever Bayley asked her how far they still had to walk... which was so unlike her. The Alexa Bayley knew was talkative and bubbly, but right after they headed off, she treated her like a total stranger who she had to lead to the portal. She didn't seem to be bothered by all of this, as if she was completely focused on her goal.

The darkness of the woods didn't make Bayley feel comfortable at all; it looked like the kind of woods in a horror movie, where a monster or deranged serial killer was ready to jump out of a tree at any moment to claim their victim's life in the most gruesome way possible. The ponytailed woman stayed close to her friend, who wasn't bothered a bit by her shady surroundings... which was again, so unlike her. The woods reminded Bayley of the woods behind the house where she grew up as a child; it was a great place to play with your friends at daylight, but when night fell, no child (or adult) would dare to set foot in it. Looking through her bedroom window and staring into the darkness of the woods always frightened little Bayley; the darkness played on her childish paranoia, causing her to imagination to run wild and imagine all kinds of supernatural creatures roaming through the woods... and that would usually lead to nightmares.

But eventually, Bayley couldn't take the pain in her legs anymore.

'Hold on Alexa, I want to sit down for a little while.' she said. Assuming that her friend heard her, the ponytailed woman sat down against a tree, her back touching the rough bark. She let out a relieved sigh, closed her eyes and rested the back of her head against the tree, the pain in her legs decreased. 'Do you want to rest a bit too? I think you could really use it.'

No response.

Bayley opened her eyes and looked around her in confusion. Her heart skipped a beat; Alexa was nowhere to be seen.

'Alexa?'

Still no response... what the hell? Despite the pain in her legs, Bayley forced herself to get up again. The pain welled up, but that was the least of her worries at this point. Bayley looked around her, but it was like her friend had disappeared into thin air. Did she continue to walk without her... or was this all some sort of hallucination created by the Demon Realm itself? It was completely quiet in this dark part of the woods, if you didn't count the sound of Bayley's rapid heartbeat. Her heart had raced up to her head and pounded with all the strength it had.

Oh God... what was going on here?!

She had to find her, she didn't want to be here alone. While still looking around her in the hope to catch a glimpse of Alexa, Bayley walked deeper into the shadowy woods, calling out her friend's name over and over again. Sharp sticks pressed against her soles through the material of her socks, but she barely even felt the pain.

'Alexa? Alexa, where are you?'

Suddenly, a cold gust of wind caught her by surprise, making the thick branches of the trees creak loudly, making her surroundings more sinister. Bayley slowly started to panic, she had never felt this vulnerable before. Jesus Christ, where the hell was Alexa?!

'Come on Alexa, come out!' she shouted. 'This is not funny anymore!'

The sound of a snapping branch made her look up; but before Bayley could look behind her, she was tackled to the ground with full force. She shrieked in surprise as she landed on the ground with a painful thud.

Before the ponytailed woman could react, she was roughly turned around on her back and a pair of hands closed themselves around her neck, clenching her throat shut with all the strength her attacker had. Bayley tried to let out a scream, but only a strangled squeak managed to escape her mouth. She widened her eyes in pure horror as she saw the face of her assailant.

No... this couldn't be... but why?!

While Alexa squeezed Bayley's throat shut with an astounding amount of strength, she looked straight into the ponytailed woman's eyes with a sadistic grin on her face, as if she enjoyed doing this to her. The evil look in the petite woman's eyes made a chill travel through her entire body, she had never seen her like this anymore. Why was she doing this?! This wasn't Alexa, this was an imposter, it had to be! But right now, there was no time for Bayley to ponder about that; right now, she had to fight for her life. The ponytailed woman kicked with her legs in the air, clawed at Alexa's hand, but she wouldn't even budge. Her fingernails had dug into the skin of Bayley's neck, making small drops of blood emerge from the little wounds.

'Poor little Bayley...' Alexa mocked. 'You have fallen right into Viktor's and Konnor's trap without even realizing it. I can't believe you fell for it so easily... but hell, I actually expected that from you. Just stop struggling already, face it, you're going to die right here! And when I'm done with you, Viktor and Konnor will go after Undertaker, kill him and become the mightiest demons in the Demon Realm. But don't worry, it will be all over for you in a second, Bayley. Now... die!'

No... she refused to die like this!

Not by the hands of the 'friend' she thought she could trust!

Bayley's hands clawed over the ground, wiping away earth and small sticks, hoping she could grab something that could help her breaking away from Alexa's hands. Thick black spots were clouding her mind, her lungs were screaming for oxygen and her head was already starting to feel lighter, she had to hurry! And much to her luck, her fingers touched something hard and big; a rock. This was it, this was her only chance of escape. With her fingers, Bayley managed to roll the rock closer to her and took a hold of it with her hand.

No time for hesitation.

The ponytailed woman struck Alexa's head with the rock as hard as she could. The petite woman let out a grunt of pain and fell off of her, letting go of her throat. Bayley rolled to her side and gasped for air, her throat burning with every breath she took. The black spots faded away from her sight, her head felt normal again. But that didn't mean she was safe just yet; she had to get out of here, right now! Bayley sat up and wanted to get up, but Alexa was faster than her. She was standing right in front her and the sight just downright frightened Bayley. The right half of her face was covered in blood, even a few strands of her platinum blonde hair were colored red. Her eyes were filled with pure hatred as she stared right into Bayley's eyes, the combination of the blood on her face and the infuriated glare gave her a nearly monstrous appearance. She was holding a thick branch, big enough to crack someone's skull with one hard hit.

'You bitch...' Alexa hissed when she raised the branch high above her head, ready to give her the finishing blow. 'Just die already!'

A bolt of dark purple lightning was shooting through the woods, hitting Alexa's head with full force. She was immediately knocked down to the ground on impact. Bayley gasped and stared at her 'friend's' motionless body, lying completely still. She felt more relieved than worried at that moment. Looking behind her, she saw her savior.

Undertaker was standing just less than three meters away from her, purple electricity still crackling around his left hand. Bayley never thought she would be that relieved to see him. 'Get up, Bayley!' the demon shouted. 'Let's go!'

'No, wait!'

Despite what she had done to her moments ago, Bayley managed to regain a bit of empathy and still wanted to have a look at Alexa; maybe she could help her. She crawled over to her motionless body, already fearing for the worst.

'What the hell are you doing?' Undertaker said. 'Get away from her!'

'She's my friend, Undertaker! I can't leave her like this!'

Tears welled up in Bayley's eyes as she saw Alexa's bloodied face. The petite woman was facing away from her, staring at the ground and a few strands of hair were sticking against her reddened face. Her breathing was slow and shallow; the breathing of a dying person. Bayley rolled her on her back and held her in her arms, cradling her. Alexa was too weak to fight back. The ponytailed woman wiped the strands of bloody hair out of her friend's face.

'Why, Alexa...?' she whispered. 'Why did you do this...?'

The petite woman stared back at Bayley with a rather blank look in her eyes, but managed to curl her mouth into a smile and chuckle darkly. Perhaps she didn't feel anything for the empathy of the woman she had tried to kill... or she was accepting her inevitable fate. 'You will see...' she replied with a weak voice. 'They will be coming for you... and they will kill you. And then... they will kill Undertaker as well. You'd better watch your back... Bayley...'

Just then, much to her horror, Bayley watched as Alexa's body suddenly slowly disintegrated into ash.

'What... What's happening?!' she exclaimed in shock. 'What is happening to her, Undertaker?!'

'When a human soul perishes in the Demon Realm, the body it has left behind in the Mortal Realm is destined to die along with it.' the demon replied. He shook his head. 'And there's nothing you can do about it.'

Oh no...

God, no...

Alexa's body had now fully disintegrated into a wave of ashes, slipping through Bayley's fingers and staining her clothes. Tears ran down the ponytailed woman's cheeks as she loudly cried for the death of her friend.

In Alexa's room in St. John Hospital, the ominous sound of a flat line in a heart rate monitor broke the silence.


	17. Feel The Lightning

**Chapter 17**

 **Feel The Lightning**

He tried it over and over again, but Viktor failed to get a proper sight. All he saw was complete darkness. Every time when he tried to look through Alexa's eyes, his eyes turned pitch black, darker than the shadows he and Konnor fused themselves with, but much to his frustration, he saw nothing but blackness. The ponytailed demon also felt a faint coldness on his skin; he knew this was most likely coming from their human marionette.

The demons were the ones who pulled her strings, Alexa didn't hesitate for a moment when they instructed her this morning to lure Bayley into the darkest part of the forest and kill her; the petite woman had grinned with glee, confidence almost radiating off her body. And if she managed to complete her mission, Viktor announced with a dark, yet somehow seductive smile, she would be greatly rewarded. Alexa seemed to immediately understand what her reward would be, softly chuckling and her cheeks coloring in a warm shade of red; yes, she wanted that reward more than anything else. Out of both demons, Alexa seemed to be especially be fond of Viktor, which was made perfectly clear when she kissed him on the lips before she took off. Watching the petite woman until she disappeared out of his sight, Viktor noticed that he actually kind of looked forward to see her again.

But now, it was safe to assume she had failed her mission... because she had died.

'Damn it!' Viktor shouted when his eyes turned back to normal.

'What's the matter?' Konnor asked, who was leaning against a tree. Like they always did, the demons had taken refuge in one of the many dark parts of the woods.

'That stupid cow got herself fucking killed!' the ponytailed demon replied angrily. 'The plan has failed, damn it, I can't believe it!'

'You must be joking... that little bitch is dead? But how?!'

'Do I look like I know?! It could've been the Undertaker interfering them or Bayley who may have already adapted that bastard's powers already and used it to kill her... Fuck!'

Konnor shook his head in frustration; he had more than enough of this. 'I'm getting tired of waiting, Viktor, I'm getting fucking sick of it. I don't want to wait any longer, I want to get my hands on Undertaker and Bayley and rip them apart like the lowly insects they are! I want their blood to stick on my hands, I want to listen to their final breaths... Let's kill them already, Viktor! The sooner we kill Undertaker and become the mightiest demons in the Demon Realm, the better!'

Viktor didn't say anything for a little moment, breathing out his last bit of anger through his nose, as if he was thinking about what the taller demon said. Then he nodded in agreement; just like his companion, he had finally ran out of patience.

'You're right. This has lasted long enough. We have killed the amount of virgins we needed, we are strong enough to take on the Undertaker. Dusk will fall in a few hours, we will attack then. And remember... don't show mercy.'

Konnor darkly chuckled. 'You know me, Viktor... I'm going to enjoy every moment of it.'

'I knew you would say that, Konnor.'

It was now or never.

Tonight was going to be the night... and they were going to come out victorious.

Viktor and Konnor were certain of that.

* * *

It was like a thick mist had shrouded Bayley's mind, making her unable to feel any emotion whatsoever. The area around her eyes had colored bright red and were slightly burning due to all the tears she had spilled over her eyelids when she went back to the mansion with Undertaker.

Alexa was dead.

She had watched the body of her friend turning into ashes, she had watched the dark grey ashes flutter to the ground, her soul finding her eternal resting place in the Demon Realm. She had watched how a small portion of the ashes were taken away by a sudden gust of wind, spreading them across the woods. And all Bayley could do at that moment was crying her eyes out. Alexa, the young woman who she had been going out with for many nights, worked out with at the gym, went out shopping and eating ice cream at the shopping mall with, was dead. And there was nothing she could do to bring her back.

But now, while she was lying on her bed and staring at the wall with a blank look on her face, Bayley felt absolutely nothing. All the tears she had in her body were cried out, there was not a single tear left. It felt like every emotion had left her body in the dark woods, like they were buried underneath the cold, ash-stained earth.

Standing in the doorway, Undertaker watched the ponytailed woman lying on the bed, her back facing him. When he woke up from his slumber, he immediately sensed she was gone... and that sense combined with the sense of Konnor and Viktor he felt last night in the ballroom made him feel everything but at ease. That's why the demon had stormed off into the woods, he couldn't risk Bayley falling into the hands of those sick, sadistic bastards. But he had found her, just in time. The petite woman who was about to beat the ponytailed woman to death had the same sense Viktor and Konnor possessed. There was no doubt about it; she was being controlled by them. There was no possibility to save her, she had to be put out of her misery.

Undertaker had never seen Bayley crying that much, not even when she was in that childlike state when she had just arrived in the Demon Realm. The way she was cradling the dying woman in her arms... Undertaker felt to his bones that she knew her.

The demon entered the ponytailed woman's bedroom and walked over to her bed. Not even his loud footsteps made her look up, as if she was in a trance she fixated her eyes on the wall next to her bed. Undertaker sat down on the bed, but that was not enough to make her even blink her eyes.

'You knew that woman who attacked you, didn't you?' he asked.

Bayley slightly nodded, not even bothering to look the demon straight in the eyes. Normally Undertaker would explode with anger because of this disrespectfulness, but this time he decided to let it pass, just for once.

'They did this, didn't they?' Bayley suddenly asked, her voice completely emotionless. Deep inside, she knew it. Konnor and Viktor did this. That woman she had encountered in the woods was not Alexa. She was a completely different person, she would never do something like this. She may have had her looks, but it wasn't her. The Alexa she knew was the greatest friend you would ever met... but something had taken her over. The ponytailed woman broke the focus on the wall and looked Undertaker straight into his impossible green eyes. 'Viktor and Konnor... are they behind this?'

Undertaker nodded. 'Yes, I am afraid so. Konnor and Viktor have the power to control others like puppets. It's very likely that your friend has fallen victim to their brainwashing. Once a human soul is controlled by a demon, it will forget all about its previous life and the ones it held dear. She no longer had any power over her own thoughts or body, only obeying the orders her masters had given her. Killing her was the only way to free her, Bayley.'

Bayley blinked her eyes two times. 'I knew it...' It suddenly looked like she had regained one emotion; rage. She slowly sat up, the blank look she had in her eyes before was now replaced with pure hatred.

'Those bastards...' she hissed. 'Those fucking bastards! Alexa didn't deserve to die like this, Undertaker, she didn't deserve to be involved in all of this!'

'Nobody deserves the cruel fate of becoming a pawn in Viktor's and Konnor's twisted game. It truly is a sickening deed.' the demon calmly replied.

'I have thought about it, Undertaker.' Bayley said, slightly nodded. Yes, she had thought about it, she had thought about it a lot... and she was ready for it.

'I have thought about your offer and I'm going to do it. I will do it. I want to join you in this fight.'

Finally... She had accepted her role as the chosen one! And it took the death of her friend to open her eyes at last. She had finally realized of what Konnor and Viktor were truly capable of; nothing would stop them of mentally torturing her, even if it meant sending her friend to her untimely death. And if she did nothing to stop them now... they were eventually going to destroy everything and everyone she loved.

'Konnor and Viktor have taken everything from me.' Bayley said. Her body language may have looked calm, but from the inside, she was boiling with rage. 'They have turned my life into a living hell, they forced me into isolation, they attacked my boyfriend, they nearly killed me and they have turned my best friend against me. If I don't do anything to stop them from hurting Sami or anybody else, I would never be able to forgive myself for it. Those bastards have to pay for everything they have done. I want to make sure they will never be able to hurt anybody again. I refuse to sit and watch them destroy any more lives. I don't care what will happen to me, I only care about stopping them before they will hurt someone else. Believe me when I say that I'm ready for it, Undertaker. I want to fight back.'

The demon slowly nodded. 'You are speaking very brave words, Bayley. Very well. I shall give you a part of my powers.'

'Alright then. But... how will I receive them?'

'I hope you will understand this, but in order for you to receive my powers, we have to share a kiss.'

Bayley blinked her eyes in surprise and slightly scooted away from Undertaker. 'W-what? W-why?' A kiss... with the Undertaker?! That thought had never entered her mind for one time, this was absurd! Yes, she felt pleasant around him that night in the ballroom, but love? No... there was no way in hell she could ever feel love for him. She already loved Sami, he was the one for her, not Undertaker. Oh God, she couldn't do this; if she would kiss him, she would betray Sami!

'It's a kiss that truly makes two beings become one.' Undertaker exclaimed calmly. 'If we become one, I can transfer a part of my powers to you.'

'Is there no other way?'

'No, there is not.'

Oh no, that's exactly what she was afraid of. Bayley bit her lower lip in unease, she doubted whether she wanted to continue this. She couldn't do this to Sami. But then again, if she would do this, she would be able to fight Konnor and Viktor. And if she wouldn't do this, more deaths were bound to happen. But she wanted to avenge Alexa, she wanted to protect Sami, the ponytailed woman wanted nothing more but stop the two demons once and for all...

Fine.

She was going to do it.

She would do it to protect Sami.

'Okay.' Bayley said, staring at the ground. 'I'll do it. Let's get this over with.'

'Very well. Come here.'

Undertaker got up from the bed and grabbed Bayley's hand, helping her to get off the bed. The touch of his hand was surprisingly gentle... but it didn't make the ponytailed woman feel comfortable at all. The demon guided her to the middle of the room. She could feel her heart beating rapidly in her chest, but she forced herself not to back down. Undertaker slightly tilted her head by lifting her chin between his thumb and index finger, making her look into his emerald green eyes and stand on her tiptoes due to the demon's impressive height.

'Sami... I'm so sorry...' Bayley thought to herself, hoping the redhead would understand this. Their lips got closer and closer, right now they were just a second away from meeting each other.

'Please forgive me...'

Undertaker pressed his lips against Bayley's in a gentle kiss. The ponytailed woman closed her eyes and tried to imagine she was actually kissing Sami, but that was almost impossible. The demon's lips felt cold, they didn't feel like Sami's warm, addictive lips at all. Bayley could feel her stomach clenching together, but luckily it wasn't enough to make her gag. The kiss was gentle, but felt completely loveless. There was no lust either, it truly felt like a forced kiss. She couldn't believe she was kissing another man... God, this felt so wrong.

Suddenly, Bayley felt a stream of energy flowing through her body. The energy felt like electricity, and yet it didn't hurt enough for her to break the kiss. It had to be Undertaker's powers, she was convinced of that. The energy reached every part of her body, spreading a tingling sensation all over her.

Undertaker broke the kiss, leaving Bayley's body tingling all over. The ponytailed woman opened her eyes and looked down. She let out a soft gasp of surprise; the clothes she was wearing during her stay had somehow been replaced with different fashion. Her t-shirt, trousers and earth-stained socks were gone, she was dressed in a blue corset with black lace trimming, a black, tight-fit leather pants and a pair of black boots. My God... did her new powers do this to her?!

'It has been done.' Undertaker spoke. 'A part of my powers is yours now, Bayley.'

Bayley stared in awe at her hands, which were still tingling from the powers. Purple electricity could be seen crackling around her hands.

In St. John Hospital, the ponytailed woman's comatose body suddenly started convulsing so violently that it took a group of five nurses to hold her down.


	18. I Can Help

**Chapter 18**

 **I Can Help**

Sitting behind his desk in the police station, Dolph had been digging through the mountain of files for hours straight, only taking a short break for a carton cup of coffee.

All of those files contained cold cases, some of them were just a few months old, others cases had gone cold for decades, one or two even dating all the way back to the sixties. The blonde detective looked through them one by one with all the patience he had. He ignored the looks of his colleagues who walked past the large window of his office, all of them thinking he was going crazy before he could even reach the age to retire. But Dolph hadn't gone crazy, well, for so far he knew.

He went through those files in the hope of finding out more about what he was dealing with at the moment. You've guessed it; he was looking if those two freaks who killed Miz and put Sami's friend in a coma were linked with more cases. Dolph was a smart man, he had the strong feeling they were somehow connected with the murders on the five women. There was something unnatural about the whole case, hell, those guys were everything but natural. What kind of 'normal' human being would be able to levitate somebody up in the air and break every bone in that person's body without even touching him? 'Natural, my ass.' the detective muttered to himself. Those fuckers had something to do with the deaths of those virgins, he could feel it in his bones.

Each cold case was more gruesome than the other. There was this cold case from the late eighties of a string of grisly murders on six teen girls. All six of them were raped before they were brutally strangled with something that resembled a thin wire and dumped in remote areas out of town. Unfortunately it didn't look this case would have any break yet; the two 'men' killed they victims while they were still virgins and there were no signs of rape, so they couldn't be connected to this case. Then there was this case of two years ago, where a well-known businessman was found dead in his house with a bullet wound in his chest. No gun was found, nor any other traces that could lead to the killer. Dolph heavily doubted whether the two freaks had something to do with that murder, they didn't look like the types who would prefer to use a gun to kill their victims. Besides, autopsy revealed that none of the women had died from a gunshot. This cold case had to be the saddest of them all, though; it was the case of a baby, whose decomposing body had been found on the attic of a house a newlywed couple had just moved in. It seemed like the previous owners had vanished of the Earth, so it didn't take too long before the case turned cold. But again, it didn't seem to fit the freaks.

But then, finally, after two hours of looking through every file, Dolph finally got a catch.

'Son of a bitch...' he murmured in disbelief.

This cold case was less than a year old and it was about a man who claimed to have witnessed two men wearing black leather shoulder pads and strange face paint sucking some sort of thick blue mist out if his wife's mouth on the couple's wedding night, killing her; not long after telling his story to the police, he was sent to a mental hospital where he is possibly staying now to this day. But the description of the two men who killed his wife... it was more than enough to confirm it was them. And when he read that in the autopsy it turned out she will still a virgin on the night she died, it had officially been confirmed in Dolph's mind that the bastards had been behind all the deaths of the five young women.

Just then, the blonde detective's cell phone rang inside his pocket. Checking the phone number on the screen, he recognized Sami's phone number. He answered the call.

'Hello?'

'Hey Dolph, it's Sami. Are you busy?'

'No, not at all. What's up, Sami? Did you get something?'

'Yeah, that's exactly what I want to talk about, actually. I went to the library earlier today and I think I have found out what we're dealing with...'

'Really? Tell me! What do you got?'

'Okay then... You ready for this?'

Dolph quickly glanced through the window of his office, making sure nobody was eavesdropping his conversation. He was lucky enough Chief McMahon was called in sick this morning, it was likely that he caught a cold from the frisky night in the park; looks like he would be spared from the Chief's burning rage for now. 'Yeah, I'm ready for this, now could you please tell me?'

'I have read a couple of books in the library... and I guess it's safe to assume that we're having trouble with demons.'

The blonde detective thought he was going to fall his chair. 'Demons?!' he replied in astonishment. 'Are you for real, are you sure?' But then he remembered the way Miz was murdered. 'Well... I can't say I don't believe you, Sami. To be honest, I have found some things that might interest you as well.'

'Thank God about that. Thanks, Dolph. Look, we need to talk about this in person, I think that would be better. How about we meet at the hospital? If we're there, I can check on Bayley and Alexa as well.'

'Uh, sure, that's fine with me. The next visiting hour will be at six o'clock, right?'

'Yeah, that's right. I'll see you there then.'

'Okay, I'll be there. Bye Sami.'

'See you, Dolph.'

And gone was Sami. Dolph put his cell phone back in his pocket and stacked a couple of files, preparing them to bring them back to the safe they were kept in.

* * *

Fifteen minutes before the visiting hour officially started, Dolph stepped into his car and drove to St. John Hospital. Demons... he still couldn't fully wrap his mind around him, but he believed Sami. He had seen it himself, no human could ever do what those bastards did. He wondered what else Sami knew about them; it could help them to track them down and make them pay.

He parked his car at the hospital's parking lot and got out. In the distance, he saw a man with red hair and red beard standing near the hospital's entrance. It was Sami. The blonde detective headed towards him and once he reached him, the two man shared a firm handshake.

'Hey, good you could make it.' the redhead said. 'Hopefully traffic wasn't too hard on you.'

'Nah, it was just fine, don't worry about that.' Dolph replied with a grin. But the grin quickly disappeared from his tanned face. 'But let's get down to business. What else do you know about these... demons?'

'Come, I will tell you on the way to the rooms.'

The two men entered the hospital together. It was a rather calm day for the staff of St. John Hospital, there weren't many visitors today by this hour. Only a few people were walking around in the main hallway, either arriving or just leaving.

'For so far as I know, demons have been worshipped by some cults for hundreds of years.' Sami said as they were walking towards the elevators. 'Those people were bat shit insane if you'd ask me, they did all kinds of creepy shit to please the demon they worshipped.'

'But I don't think these guys don't have any people to do the dirty work for them.' Dolph replied. 'Until now, they have only worked together with just the two of them.'

'True, I have seen that as well when they attacked me in my apartment. I have also read that some demons are able to travel between our world and theirs... so I guess these demons are one of them.'

'You're right about that, Sami. That night in the park when my partner was killed, I saw one of those fellas creating that portal, which they used to escape.'

'I'm pretty sure they are up to no good. I have read something about demons that mean no harm, but I guess it's obvious they are not too kind. I'm sorry if this is insensitive, but... how was your partner killed?'

'One of them broke all the bones in his body before snapping his neck... all without touching him.'

'Damn... so I guess they also have superpowers.'

'Yeah. What else do you know?'

'Well... some demons have to feed on life forces of humans, like babies, mentally ill people, virgins...'

'Hold on...' Dolph briefly interrupted the redhead. 'Did you say... virgins?!'

They arrived at the elevators and Sami pressed the button for the elevator to go down. 'I don't know if you have watched the news lately, but at this moment I'm investigating a string of murders on virgin women. The papers call the murderer the 'Virgin Killer.'' Dolph said. 'All of the women have died without an exact cause of death, the killer... or killers, to be correct, didn't leave a single trace on their bodies or at the crime scene. I have dug through some cold cases and stumbled upon a case of a woman who was attacked by two men wearing black leather shoulder pads on her wedding night. The husband did report seeing those bastards sucking some mist of his wife's mouth... And now that I think about it, it could explain how those women died.'

And just like that, detective Dolph Ziggler had found out the true identity of the notorious 'Virgin Killer'.

'Wait, that story sounds very familiar...' Sami said. 'I have read it before, on a blog! That guy was the blogger!'

The elevator arrived at their floor and the metal doors slowly opened. Nobody was inside. The two men got inside and the door closed. Sami pressed the button for the fifth floor, allowing the elevator to travel up.

'Pardon me for this question, but... are Bayley and Alexa virgins?' the blonde detective asked.

'Bayley is a virgin, Alexa isn't.' Sami replied. 'Bayley had told me that on the night she was put into a coma, Alexa had told me in a bar once when we went out one night.' (She lost her virginity to the high school's most popular football player in her mid-teens, in the locker room during prom night.)

'I see...' Dolph said, frowning in confusion. 'But if Alexa isn't a virgin... then what did they want from her? It doesn't make sense...'

The elevator arrived at the fifth floor. The doors opened and Dolph and Sami got out. The redhead decided to take a look at Alexa first, since her room was the closest. It was on their left, just like Bayley's room. The redhead opened the door and looked inside, expecting Alexa to lie in her bed...

But much to his surprise, the bed was empty.

'What the hell?' Sami wondered. He could feel his heart skipping a beat; why the fuck was her bed empty?!

'What's the matter?' Dolph asked. 'Is something wrong?'

'She's not in her bed!' the redhead replied with a slightly hoarse voice. 'Something's really wrong here Dolph, I have to know where she is!'

Sami quickly left the bedroom and looked around him in the hallway. He spotted a nurse just exiting one of the rooms and walked towards her, hoping she would have some news about her. Please God, let her be in another room for whatever's sake...

'Excuse me.' Sami asked the nurse. 'The woman who is staying in room E-03... Alexa Bliss... Where is she? Is she in another room?!'

'Oh, that lady...?' the nurse replied. 'I... I'm very sorry to tell you this sir, but... Ms. Bliss has passed away in her coma a few hours ago. I'm sorry.'

The world had frozen around Sami.

His heart stopped pounding.

Oh no.

Oh God, no.

His heart was pounding in his head, his mouth was as dry as a desert. He couldn't believe it, goddamn it, this wasn't real! Alexa was dead... But how?! Just then, the name of another woman shot across Sami's mind.

Bayley!

With tears burning in his eyes, the redhead rushed towards room E-08. Oh God please, not her too, please not her! Dolph loudly asked where he was going, but Sami couldn't hear him; his ears were ringing as if a bomb had exploded next to him. He practically ripped the door open, the door handle leaving a dent in the wall due to the impact.

The sight made Sami's heart cringed in relief, it was almost painful.

Bayley was still lying in her bed, the monotone beeping of the heart rate monitor reporting that she was alive and well.

Sami's legs felt like they were giving up on him. Washed over by grief, he sat down in the doorway and sobbed. Alexa was gone... goddamn it, he couldn't believe it. Why, why did she have to die?! She was still so young, she had a whole life ahead of hear... and the demons took it all away from her.

Dolph approached the grieving redhead; he understood what had happened.

'Shit... I'm so sorry, Sami.' he said with a soft voice. He too was completely shocked by this.

Sami didn't say anything for a little moment, letting hot tears flowing down his cheeks.

'I'm going to make them pay, Dolph.' he suddenly growled. 'I'm going to make them fucking pay, I swear to God!' Rage was boiling inside him with the heat of fresh lava, he had never been this thirsty for vengeance in his entire life. He clenched his fists as he breathed out through his clenching teeth, producing a hissing noise while doing that. Right now he wasn't only able to hurt the demons... but to also kill them if he had to.

'Believe me Sami, I'm going to help you with that.' Dolph said, nodding in confidence. 'I will help you track down those bastards, I promise you that!'

'I think I might be able to help you with that.' an unfamiliar female voice with a British accent suddenly spoke.

Both men looked up in surprise. Sami's eyelids had turned bright red due to the tears spilling over his eyes. The voice belonged to a woman who had seemed to have suddenly appeared out of nowhere. She was pretty young, in her early twenties. And to be honest, she looked quite... different. Her skin was as white as snow, as if her skin hadn't been in contact with the sunlight from the day she was born. The young woman had long black hair and was wearing black eye shadow. She was clad in a long black dress with long sleeves which were made of a slightly more transparent fabric, the hem of the dress reaching the lower part of her calves. She was wearing a choker with a purple gem in it around her neck and her wrist were adorned with black thins bracelets. And to finish her dark appearance, she was wearing black ballerina shoes. She almost looked like a ghost, without a doubt.

'Who the hell are you?!' Sami snapped, his voice sounding more angry then he intended it to be.

The gothic woman blinked her eyes in surprise, but quickly regained herself. 'Sorry about my sudden introduction.' she said. 'I was walking through the hallway when I heard you two talk about demons, so... I decided to follow you for a while. Sorry about that. You could say I have... quite an interest in demons. And I can help you track them down, if you want. I am specialized in that sort of thing. My name is Paige, by the way. What are your names?'


	19. Never Give Up

**Chapter 19**

 **Never Give Up**

Undertaker had given her some time to get used to the energy of her new powers flowing through her body.

Much to Bayley's surprise, she actually felt great. It felt like she had drank a dozen of cups of coffee along with a couple of cans of the energy drink she drank whenever she visited the gym, every vein inside her were trembling with lightning, but Bayley had never felt this fantastic before. The ponytailed woman was full of energy, it was amazing. Undertaker had told her to meet him outside behind the mansion whenever she was ready; the demon said he would teach her everything she needed to have in their battle against Konnor and Viktor.

And Bayley was more than ready.

The ponytailed woman got used to her powers within a matter of time, less than an hour maybe. She descended down the stairs, heading towards the front door to exit the mansion and meet up with her mentor. Yes, that was right; Bayley viewed Undertaker as some sort of mentor. The demon had taught her so much during her stay in the Demon Realm; he had helped her find back her love for playing the piano, to play one of the most beautiful songs in existence, overcome a part of deep-rooted grief and made her snap out of her childish attitude.

It felt so wrong kissing Undertaker, Bayley absolutely hated it. She had the feeling she was cheating on Sami, it was awful. She had never loved Undertaker, Sami was the man she wanted to spend the rest of her life with. But Bayley comforted herself with the thought that the kiss had nothing to do with romantic feelings; she did it to receive the powers she needed in the fight against Viktor and Konnor. Like that she could defeat them, avenge Alexa and prevent them from harming Sami or anybody else, that's why she did it. Bayley would never have feelings for Undertaker, he was her mentor, that was it.

She reached the lower floor and opened the front door, exiting the mansion. The temperature outside had slightly dropped, thick clouds covered the sun and made the forest look slightly darker. A gentle breeze made the leaves of the trees rustle; perhaps Alexa's ashes had spread all over the earth of the darkest part of the forest by this time. Such a sad place to have your ashes strewed out... Alexa never deserved this fate. But Bayley didn't have a single tear left anymore; she wanted to fight.

She walked to the back of the mansion, but to her surprise, Undertaker wasn't there yet. Where was he? Was he in the forest? Bayley leaned against the wall and stared at the tree line. She wondered how Undertaker must've felt when he kissed her... Are demons capable of feeling love? Or did he feel the same way about her the way she felt about him? But even if he had feelings for her, Bayley was afraid she had to disappoint the demon. She was not the one for him to love.

'There you are.'

Bayley slightly jumped and softly gasped. Undertaker emerged from the shadows of the forest like a ghost out of the mist.

'Where were you?' Bayley asked. 'Where did you go?'

'I have looked around the area to see if Konnor and Viktor were around.' Undertaker replied. 'But no need for worries, we are safe... for now.'

'Well, thank goodness about that...'

'How do you feel, Bayley? Do you think you are ready for the training?'

'I feel good, to be honest. I have never felt this energetic before, as if I'm... a whole new person. It's so weird, but it feels right at the same time. I feel, no, I know that I'm ready for this, Undertaker. I want to learn everything to take down Viktor and Konnor, it's all I want. I want to stop them, no matter what the cost is.'

The demon slowly nodded. 'I can see you are ready for it. Very well, we shall begin. But before we start, I must ask you something important... Do you have any skills when it comes to fighting?'

'Well yeah, I do, actually. I have been punching some bags in the gym in my home world, so you could say that I have at least some fighting skills.'

'You are going to need to learn a lot more than only throwing punches, Bayley. Come, let me teach you how to properly defend yourself... and control your powers.' Undertaker took off his head and long black leather coat and put them on the ground near a tree. 'Alright then...' he said. 'Hit me with all the strength you have.'

'W-what?'

'You heard me. Give me the best hit you have.'

Oh man, this was going to be hard for Bayley. There was no real reason to punch the Undertaker, she didn't want to hurt him. But she quickly shook that thought off her mind and convinced herself that this was all part of the training. The ponytailed woman clenched her fist and charged at the demon, ready to strike the first punch. But Undertaker was way faster than her; he grabbed her arm and pushed her to the ground. Bayley let out a grunt when her body touched the earth with a painful thud.

'Too slow!' Undertaker said. 'Get up!'

The ponytailed woman didn't need to be told that twice; she immediately got up and wanted to launch another punch at him, but Undertaker grabbed her wrist, turned her around with a single push and twisted her arm behind her back. Bayley hissed in pain and tried to break free, but was afraid the demon would break her wrist if she tried to struggle more.

'Stop and listen to me for a moment!' Undertaker shouted. 'Do not let frustration get the better of you! If you do that, you will lose control over yourself! Now, concentrate and then attack!' He let go of Bayley's wrist. The ponytailed woman cradled her painful wrist for a little moment and looked up at the demon, slowly nodding.

'Okay.' she said.

'Good. Now, dodge!'

Undertaker clenched his fist and wanted to throw a punch at Bayley, but she saw it just in time and dodged it. She saw her chance and punched the demon in his stomach as hard as she could. Undertaker grunted in pain, which made the ponytailed woman regret about her action.

'Oh no...' she said. 'I... I'm sorry about that...'

'No, you don't have to apologize.' the demon replied. 'You did well. Let's continue.'

Bayley and Undertaker alternately launched punches and kicks at each other, both of them trying to dodge and counter the attacks as swiftly as possible. The ponytailed woman remembered the training she had in the gym, and she put those skills in good use in this training. Whenever she managed to strike her mentor, she felt a flame inside her growing bigger and bigger. She knew exactly what it was; the confidence she had lost days ago. Feeling the flame growing larger felt so good. It gave her the will to continue, to not give up for a single second. No, giving up was the least thing she wanted. She refused to give up in this fight, she would never allow Viktor and Konnor making her do that; the ponytailed woman would rather die while fighting back as hard as she could rather than dying while cowering in fear.

'Enough for now.' Undertaker said after an hour, abruptly halting the training. 'Now I shall teach you how to use your powers. Look.'

The demon glanced at his fist and focused. He send his dark energy flowing to his arm, purple electricity was crackling around his fist. 'Do you see this? Do the same as I did. Let the energy flow to your hand. Concentrate, Bayley.'

Bayley attentively looked at the lightning dancing around Undertaker's hand. Yes, she was willing to try. She closed her eyes and concentrated on the unfamiliar energy traveling through her body. She managed to let a part of the energy flow to her arm, making her hand tingle. Opening her eyes, she saw to her surprise that small cracks of purple electricity were caressing the skin of her hand. However, the electricity almost immediately disappeared into thin air.

'Dang it, I almost had it.'

'Try again, you were almost there.'

Bayley nodded and focused on the energy once more, allowing it to travel to her arm again. The purple electricity reappeared, this time it had grown slightly bigger. Bayley maintained the concentration on her energy, this time the electricity managed to stay and grow larger.

'That's it, Bayley!' Undertaker said. 'Now, fire at that tree!'

The ponytailed woman aimed her arm at a tree in the distance and felt a small, painless explosion in her hand. In the blink of an eye, she send an arrow of purple lightning flying through the forest and striking the tree. A loud bang broke the silence of the forest, the tree was blown into splinters and send crashing to the ground, making a dusty cloud of earth ascending into the air.

'Oh my God...' Bayley whispered in awe, widening her eyes in shock. 'Did I just do that?!'

'You are correct in that.' Undertaker replied. 'But let's continue, there is much more to learn about your powers.'

And so in the following hour, Bayley learned how to fully control her powers and use them at her will. It was all a matter of concentration and control. She quickly got used to letting big amounts of pulsing energy traveling through her veins while she controlled the lightning in her hands. But it was not only electricity she could manipulate; the darkness of the forest was also completely under her control. The ponytailed woman watched as thick streams of darkness swirled around her lower arms before they were send launching at a tree, blowing it into splinters. Bayley had never felt so confident in herself before, she felt like she could take on every bastard who tried to harm her in the Demon Realm.

She was a fast learner, that was for sure. Undertaker had instructed her well, it looked like Bayley had a natural talent for controlling her powers. The demon had the feeling she was finally ready for it. Yes, she was ready to join him in his fight against Konnor and Viktor.

She was indeed the chosen one.

'You have done a fine job, Bayley.' Undertaker said. 'You can stop, the training is over.'

A few trickles of sweat was running down the ponytailed woman's face as she looked up. Bayley was tired as hell, but it didn't matter; she felt absolutely great.

'You... really think I did a good job?' Bayley asked between her soft panting. It felt pleasant to receive a compliment from the Undertaker, it made her feel even more confident about herself.

'Yes. I believe you are ready for the fight.'

Bayley smiled from ear to ear, wiped the sweat from her face and let out a tired, but happy sigh. 'I'm glad to hear that. But... Undertaker?'

'Yes?'

'I want to ask you something...' During the training, Bayley had been wondering about something... and she couldn't help but asking the demon about it. 'You live in a huge, beautiful mansion in a big forest... doesn't it make you feel lonely? You can share it all with somebody you care about. Why do you live all alone?'

Just then, much to Bayley's surprise, Undertaker's face had something... sad. For a moment, she was afraid she asked about something he didn't prefer to talk about. And it did indeed look like the demon was hesitating about telling the true reason for his lonely lifestyle. Oh no... Bayley hoped she didn't upset him.

Bayley was a person with a good heart, Undertaker could feel it. He appreciated her company that night in the ballroom, it sure did make him feel a bit less lonely. She didn't show any more resentment towards him after the argument they had, as if she had forgiven him all for what he had done. The demon was sure she wouldn't use his story against him. He decided to tell it all.

'Once a year, a tournament is held in the Demon Realm.' he spoke. 'It's the most important event imaginable in this world. It's a tournament where demons from all parts of the Demon Realm come together to battle to see who was the strongest demon in the entire Demon Realm. You would either leave the Tournament alive... or you wouldn't leave at all. And still, there are demons who are more than willing to risk their lives in order to turn their battles into legends. I too attended the Tournament... and won twenty years in a row. In those years, I have faced many worthy opponents, but in the end, I came out victorious. This is why I was known as the most respected, as well as the most feared, demon in the Demon Realm. While others bowed down in respect, other stepped back in fear. This lasted for twenty years... until all of this came to an end this year. My opponent, a demon that was younger than me, struck me three times with his finishing move before he managed to defeat me. Normally a defeated demon would be immediately killed on the spot, but my opponent decided to spare my life... not because he pitied me, but because he wanted me to feel the agonizing humiliation. My reputation is beyond restoration... I was completely humiliated... That is why I decided to retreat in my mansion. Alone.'

Bayley had listened to the demon's story without interrupting him once; she had even forgotten to breathe. Dear God... This was so sad... 'Oh man... I'm so sorry to hear about that, Undertaker.' she said.

'No need to feel pity for me.' Undertaker answered almost coldly. 'I'm better off like this either way. Roaming amongst the fellow demons with a shattered reputation would be an even more cruel fate than living in isolation. My loss is what triggered Konnor's and Viktor's thirst to come after me. Though my name is in ruins, demons will never forget my previous victories. Konnor and Viktor have no idea that there is no honor in killing somebody who has already lost everything. They are so blinded by their own pride and haughtiness, they don't even see that. They have always been powerful demons, but now that they are coming for me... Ruined reputation or not, I will fight them. However, I needed somebody on my side who would be strong enough to endure my powers... and that somebody was you, Bayley. And now that you have learned how to use your powers, I truly believe now we are ready for the fight.'

Just then, the demon felt a pair of arms tightly wrapping around his waist. Looking down, he was completely caught by surprise. Bayley had pulled him in for a warm, friendly hug. Undertaker felt confused. Why? Why was she doing this?

He needed this, more than any person she had ever met. Bayley nuzzled her cheek against Undertaker's chest, not even the cold radiating from his muscled body bothered her. It felt good to give a hug to somebody who really needed it. Bayley didn't feel any shyness, she hugged Undertaker like they had been friends for years.

'Hey...' she said, looking up. Emerald green met chocolate brown. Only now, Undertaker noticed Bayley had the warmest eyes he had ever seen in his entire life. 'If you ever need a friend, if you ever feel lonely... I will be there for you. No matter what. You have me as a friend now, and I will do my best to not make you feel lonely.'

Such kind words... this kindness felt so unfamiliar to Undertaker; no female demon, let alone a human woman, had spoken to him like this. Then, for the first time in what felt like an eternity, Undertaker managed to curl his mouth into a smile.

'Thank you, Bayley. I really appreciate that.'


	20. On The Other Side Of The Mirror

**Chapter 20**

 **On The Other Side Of The Mirror**

Sami was still pretty much in shock about the sudden death of Alexa, but he had managed to calm down a bit despite his immense grief.

There was something about this Paige woman he couldn't put his finger on, he wasn't sure what was up with her. Was it her somewhat spooky looks, her sudden appearance, or the fact that she claimed she was able to help him and Dolph with tracking down the bastards who were most likely responsible for Alexa's death? He didn't know what, he just thought she was... inhuman. Or it just could just be his early-stage paranoia speaking. Hell, Paige could be one of them for all that mattered! But the redhead had reminded himself not to give into his paranoia; like that, it would last longer for him to have his revenge on the demons.

Sami didn't know if he should believe Paige or not. Just the fact that she had been eavesdropping their conversation, followed them all the way to the fifth floor and even having the guts to speak to him while he was caught in a mix between crushing grief and burning rage just made her nothing more but suspicious in his eyes. But then again, the offer to help them sounded so tempting... and in that stage of grief, Sami would've gladly accepted the offer, but he also had to stay on his guards. He needed to talk to Dolph about this; he had asked Paige if she could wait for a moment and practically dragged the blonde detective inside Bayley's room, shutting the door behind him afterwards. There they discussed whether it would be a wise idea to accept Paige's offer. Dolph seemed to doubt about this as well for a moment, but said that they should take advantage of this; perhaps she could've been speaking the truth. Besides, even if she was lying and tried to harm her... well, it would only take a second for the detective to draw his pistol out of his pocket.

They decided to accept the offer.

When Sami told Paige about this, she had smiled and told him he was making the right choice. Her place was a bit far away from the hospital, so she suggested them to come along with her in their car. And since she came here by foot, she could be their passenger. But that made her even more suspicious... why would she come here on foot if she could've taken a car or at least a cab ride? But before the redhead could ask about that, the gothic woman had told them to follow her and turned around. Mysterious and a bit rude... she was an odd duck alright.

And now, even when they were sitting in Dolph's car with the blonde detective as the driver, Sami was wary about Paige. She was sitting in the backseat, a small, relaxed smile was displayed on her pale face. She almost looked smug, it almost made the remaining rage inside Sami well up again. How dared she; his best friend had died in a coma just a few hours ago and she had the guts to smile. But the redhead decided not to say anything about that.

'You have to turn right at the roundabout.' Paige said. 'My place is not that far anymore, we're almost there.'

'Can I ask you something, Paige?' Sami asked.

'Sure, what is it?'

'What were you doing in the hospital? Were you visiting somebody?'

The gothic woman didn't say anything for a few seconds, as if she was thinking about her answer. It only made her more suspicious... 'You could say that I was visiting somebody, yeah.' she eventually said.

Sami nodded, but didn't say anything. He remembered the pistol Dolph had in his pocket; if she dared to do something to them, he wasn't going to be afraid to use it.

Dolph reached the roundabout and turned right. Just like Sami, he was a bit wary about Paige as well, but if it turned out she was speaking the truth after all, they could have a very useful ally.

'Okay, my place is here on the left.' Paige said, pointing out of the window. 'You can park near the sidewalk.'

Dolph slightly frowned; did she live in 'The Pentagram', that store that sells all that weird goth stuff? 'You mean that shop is your home?' the blonde detective asked while parking his car.

Paige softly chuckled in amusement. 'Yup, that's right! I'm the owner of this store. My apartment is right above the shop, I like to live close near my work, if you know what I mean...'

'Hmm. Right.'

The blonde detective turned off the engine, silencing the soft, monotone humming noise it produced. They got out of the car, Paige opened the car's door by herself. The street almost seemed abandoned, a small supermarket, the only other shop in this street, was already closed. The gothic woman zipped open her black purse and took out a bundle of keys, jingling when the pieces of metal touched each other. She looked for the right key and quickly found it. She stuck it inside the lock of the store's door and twisted the key; the door unlocked with a soft click. Paige opened the door and gestured the two men to step inside.

'Welcome to my humble abode.' she said with a smile on her face.

Sami and Dolph got inside the shop and looked around them; the lights were off, their surrounding were covered in a thin sheet of shadows. Paige noticed that the two young men having a bit of trouble adjusting their eyes to their shady surroundings. 'Oh, right.' she said. 'The light switch is here somewhere, hold on a second.' She found the small light switch near the door and switched it on. In the blink of an eye the shop was illuminated by the lights on the ceiling, revealing the merchandise displayed in the building. Glancing at the racks full with black t-shirts with names of goth or metal bands printed on them and the black trousers and black leather skirts adorned with chains, the cabinets with necklaces, chokers, studded bracelets and piercings, the corner displaying long velvet gothic dresses and leather combat boots immediately reminded Dolph of his teenage years. Being the rebellious sixteen year-old kid he was back then, he used to dress himself in black shirts and ripped jeans and listen to the most well-known metal bands there were in the metal scene. But now that he had grown into a law-abiding homicide detective who had sworn to bring justice to all, Dolph realized how much a person could change during the years of his life.

'And then there was light!' Paige exclaimed triumphantly. 'Now gentlemen, if you want to follow me...' She walked past the full racks of t-shirts, heading towards a door in the far back of the store. Sami looked at Dolph interrogatively, as if he wanted to ask him if this was still a good idea. The blonde detective saw the look in his eyes and knew what he meant; he nodded, reassuring him. Sami nodded back, remembering the pistol. As long as they would have it, they would be safe. Dolph and Sami followed Paige to the door. While they were walking, she was looking through her bundle of keys, looking for a different key this time. By the time they arrived at the door, she had found it. The gothic woman slipped the key inside the lock of the door and twisted, opening the door.

Stepping inside the room made Sami and Dolph feel like they had entered a different world.

Red candles gently illuminated the backroom, the small, teardrop-shaped flames projecting bright circles against the dark red walls. The walls were decorated with dark grey tapestry, pentagrams were weaved into all of them. A wooden cupboard was put in the left corner, containing glass bottles with all kinds of strange contents like red powder and what looked like small twigs. In the middle of the strange room there was a round, oak table with three chairs; a large mirror in the same shape as the table was lying on top of it.

'Wow...' Dolph said in awe.

Paige chuckled. 'Yup, it's not the kind of backroom you'd see every day, or is it, detective?'

'Sorry that I have to ask you this...' Sami said. 'But... are you a witch or something?'

The gothic woman laughed, as if she had just heard a good joke. 'Well... you could say I'm something like that. Please, sit down.'

Sami and Dolph said down at the table while Paige put her purse inside the cupboard and quickly looked through it. She grabbed a small bottle filled with grey powder. 'Do you want something to drink? I still have some tea if you want.'

'Ah, um, no thank you.' Sami politely answered.

'Me neither, thanks.' Dolph said.

Paige shrugged. 'Alright, suit yourself.' she said. She joined the young men at the table, putting the bottle on the fragile glass of the mirror.

'So how do you want to help us tracking down those demons?' Sami asked. 'What do we have to do for it?'

'For now, we have to see which demons you are dealing with.' Paige replied. 'See this mirror? It may seem like an ordinary mirror to you two, but for me... I can use this mirror as a window to look at another world humans thought would only exist in our imagination.'

'What are you talking about?' Sami asked. 'What is this other world?'

'You like to ask questions, don't you?' Paige chuckled. 'But that's alright, it shows that you are interested. You see, I have the ability to look inside a world called the Demon Realm. There are all kinds of worlds out there, and we are just one of them.'

'The Demon Realm... is that where those bastards come from?' Dolph asked.

'Yes. There are demons who are able to travel from their home world to ours, the Mortal Realm. I felt there were demonic powers present in the hospital from the very moment I visited it for the first time, I could feel it all the way in the mortuary.'

'Wait... so that's why you were in the hospital?' Sami asked, cocking his eyebrow. 'Were you there only to visit the mortuary?' An uncomfortable feeling started to develop inside the redhead's stomach; that was way beyond creepy.

Paige nodded, she didn't even attempt to deny it. 'Even in death, human souls can't escape the torment of the demons who live to torture them. Whenever I visit the hospital, I bring enchanted incense with me to light up in the mortuary; it keeps those demons at bay and brings the souls of the dead the soothing they need. When I approached you two while you were grieving, the sense of demonic magic was stronger than ever. I could see it in the aura of the comatose woman with the ponytail.'

'Her name is Bayley.' the redhead answered almost coldly. She had a name, damn it. 'She is my girlfriend. For a while she was stalked by two demons wearing black shoulder pads and face paint. And I'm damn sure it's them who put her into a coma... just like they did to Alexa before killing her.'

'It were the same demons who killed my partner.' Dolph said. 'I have seen them as well.'

Paige rapidly blinked her brown eyes in surprise. 'Wait... do you mean... Konnor and Viktor?'

'You know them?' Dolph asked.

'Oh God... so that explains all the murders on those women lately.' the gothic woman murmured.

'What else do you know about them?' Sami asked, slightly raising his voice. 'Tell me!'

Paige didn't say anything for a few seconds, as if she was once more thinking about her answer. 'You could say I know them, yes.' she said. 'Viktor and Konnor are known in the Demon Realm for their viciousness, they won't stop until they get what they want. They are animals, Sami. Savage animals. They are nothing but pure evil. Demons like them are the reason why I left the Demon Realm.'

Both Sami and Dolph widened their eyes in awe. 'So wait, Paige...' Sami said. 'Does that mean you are...'

'A demon? You got that right.' the gothic woman answered. 'Turns out I'm one of the demons who are able to travel between these worlds. Quite a surprise, huh? Now, please get this... not all demons are malevolent. I have seen the way you humans portray us in stories and movies. There are good demons out there, believe me. I do not mean to harm anybody, I wish to bring ease to those who are tormented by the ones who do want to raise hell with my powers. So please, detective Dolph... get your hand away from the pistol in your pocket.'

Shit, how could she have known that? It must've been her powers at work... Dolph moved his hand away from his pistol.

'The reason why Bayley is in a coma is because her soul has been taken.' Paige said. 'There is a big chance her soul has been taken to the Demon Realm. The same goes for your friend Alexa, but it seems like her soul failed to get out alive... With this mirror, we can take a look at Bayley and see what kind of situation she's in.'

'How do we know if we can trust you?' Sami asked with obvious suspicion in his voice, slightly narrowing his eyes. 'How do we know if you're not going to play some trick on us?'

'Believe me Sami, I'm not like Viktor and Konnor!' the raven-haired, female demon exclaimed. 'I want to help you track them down, I want to stop them just as much as you do! I can help you defeating them and bring back your girlfriend! Now, do you allow me to help you or not?'

The redhead glared at her, still unsure about his choice.

'Okay then.' he said, nodding his head. 'But if you dare to betray us, there will be consequences for you, got it?'

'No need to worry about that. Pay attention now.'

Paige pulled to cork off the glass bottle she had got out of the cupboard earlier and poured the content over the mirror. She barely inaudibly murmured a strange language which Sami and Dolph had never heard before; it was because it was an ancient language that had existed in the Demon Realm hundreds of years ago. The grey powder swirled over the glass of the mirror like sand in a small tornado before disappearing into thin air.

'Sami, now it's your turn to do something. Touch the mirror and say what you want to see.'

The redhead nodded and touched the glass with his fingertips. 'I want to see Bayley.' he said with a clear voice.

The magic mirror immediately obeyed his wish. Shapes started to appear in the glass, becoming clearer and cleared by the second until the three were able to see what was currently happening to the ponytailed woman in the mysterious Demon Realm.

Sami's heart cringed in relief.

'Bayley...' he whispered with a soft voice as tears almost welled up in his eyes.

He saw the woman who he loved more than life itself.

She looked unharmed, thank God. She was sitting in what looked like a ballroom, playing piano alongside a tall, muscled man clad in a black leather coat. Because of the black hat he was wearing on his head, the redhead couldn't exactly see his face. But Bayley looked relaxed with the mysterious man's presence, judging by the smile on her face while she was playing the piano.

'Who is that guy?' Sami asked, pointing at the figure.

'Dear God...' Paige whispered in awe. 'That is... the Undertaker!' Why was she with him? What was a human doing with the most legendary demon in the Demon Realm?

'Do you also know him?' Dolph asked.

But before the female demon could answer that question, the mirror suddenly burst into thousands of pieces with a loud bang, making Paige emit a shriek. The three had to cover their faces to prevent pieces of glass launching into their eyes. When they moved their hands away from their faces, they saw that the mirror was completely destroyed; the sight of Bayley and the Undertaker was gone.

'What the hell happened, Paige?!' Sami exclaimed, wiping tiny pieces of glass off his shirt. 'What did you do?!'

'I-I didn't do anything! I... I don't understand!' the female demon stammered, her eyes widened with shock. 'This has never happened to me before!'

For some reason, all three of them felt like their hearts were sinking to their feet.


	21. The Battle Is On

**Chapter 21**

 **The Battle Is On**

Judging from the way she controlled the keys of the piano, Undertaker assumed Bayley was fully comfortable around him.

She was a person who loved to learn, the demon had learned that by now. He had witnessed how much she had grown in such a short time while she was staying in the Demon Realm… for some reason, Undertaker felt something that came close to pride. Yes, that was the right word to describe it, pride. After that incident with the mirror, Bayley's attitude was so immature, almost selfish even. And now, she had finally gathered the courage to take on Viktor and Konnor. All she needed was a push into the right direction. However, Undertaker thought what really caused Bayley to make her decision was the death of her friend, the petite woman with the platinum blonde hair; perhaps it was that which triggered Bayley's thirst for vengeance.

Did he develop feelings for the young woman during the transfer of the powers? No. Not for one moment, Undertaker didn't feel anything that felt familiar to love during Bayley's stay. The kiss was purely intended for the transferring the powers to her, love wasn't involved at all.

But when she pulled the demon in for an embrace and told him she would be his friend… he did feel a strange kind of warmth develop inside his cold chest. Nobody had ever spoken such kind words to him. And he had to admit; Bayley was a very pleasant companion to be around with.

'Moonlight Sonata' sadly reached its end; Undertaker almost wanted to ask if Bayley wanted to play it again, hearing her play was a true delight for the ears.

'So what do you think of it?' Bayley asked, her fingers still resting on the keys of the piano. 'You think I've improved?'

'I'm quite certain of that.' the demon replied. 'You have talent, Bayley. You should cherish that.'

But just when she wanted to answer that compliment, a sharp pain traveled through the ponytailed woman's head, it was so painful that is almost made her ears ring. She clenched her eyes shut and grunted in pain, holding her head between her hands, it felt her head could explode at any second.

'Bayley! What's the matter?'

'Ah… my head! It feels like…'

Bayley opened her eyes and gasped. She could sense something was near… something evil. She had seen it all in a flash; two large shapeless shadows were charging towards the mansion. And she knew exactly what kind of shadows it was.

It were the same shadows that terrorized her in the Mortal Realm.

'They're here.' the ponytailed woman whispered in a hoarse voice.

Undertaker immediately knew who she meant.

A loud bang echoed through the entire mansion, coming from the main hall. It sounded like the front door was blown to smithereens, the door was made of thick, heavy oak; only something or someone with inhuman strength would be able to destroy it. Undertaker and Bayley immediately got up and rushed out of the ballroom together, mentally preparing themselves for a fiery confrontation. The demon swung the door open, leaving a crack in the wall as the doorknob hit it with full force.

It was exactly who they thought it would be.

Standing in the door opening amongst the pieces of the shattered door, Viktor and Konnor grinned when they spotted the young woman and the living legend of the Demon Realm. The light of the full moon made their large shadows staining the floor of the main hall look like phantoms.

'Good evening, Deadman…' Viktor said. 'I hope you have prepared yourself… to meet your ruin.'

'Viktor… Konnor…' Undertaker hissed. From the corner of her eye, Bayley noticed purple electricity crackling around the demon's hand. 'This is your last chance to come to your senses and walk away. Leave now and you will be left unharmed. But if you still insist… then I will gladly fight you.'

'Walk away?!' Konnor laughed. 'I had no idea the former strongest demon of the Demon Realm was such a coward!'

'The only cowards here are you two!' Bayley shouted angrily, feeling the hatred for the demons flare up inside her like a wildfire. 'It's because of you that Alexa is dead! I'm going to make you bastards pay for her death and for turning my life into a living hell, if it's the last thing I'll do!'

'Oh, it looks like the little bitch has finally learned to stand up for herself…' Viktor said with a grin on his face. But the grin quickly disappeared of his face as the ponytailed demon glared at her. 'But believe this, you dumb wench… fighting us will definitely be the last thing you will ever do.'

Suddenly, Viktor aimed the palms of his hands at Bayley and Undertaker; strings of iron chains shot out of his hands and were coming straight at the two. The ponytailed woman and the demon managed to dodge them just in time, jumping out of the way before the chains could reach them. The true strength of the magic chains became perfectly clear when they hit the ground with full impact, shattering the tiles into pieces and leaving a hole in the floor.

'Very well then.' Undertaker growled; more electricity started crackling around his fists. 'If it's a fight you two fools want in order to stroke those egos of yours… you will get it!'

Immediately after he finished speaking those words, he launched two big bolts of purple lightning at the two demons. Konnor and Viktor transformed into their shadow forms in the blink of an eye, dodging the lightning bolts before they could almost hit them. They quickly slithered towards Bayley and Undertaker. Viktor was the first one to change back into his 'human' form, standing in front of Bayley and ready to strike the first punch. But luckily, Bayley was faster; she let her inner energy flow to her arm and launched a bolt of lightning, striking Viktor in the stomach. The impact caused the demon to be flung against the wall, cracking it. Bayley didn't hesitate for a moment and charged at Viktor, this time a thick string of darkness was swirling around her lower arm. But before she could clip a punch on the ponytailed demon's jaw, he got up and hit her in the stomach. Bayley let out a grunt in pain, but there was no time to hunch over and cradle her painful stomach with her arms; she immediately retaliated, punching Viktor on his jaw with all the strength she had, the darkness swirling around her lower arm multiplying the punch's strength. Blood was seen trickling out of the corner of Viktor's mouth, but the demon didn't seem to be bothered by the pain at all. He spat out the blood and grinned at Bayley.

'Looks like you've already obtained his powers…' he said, the sinister, bloody grin refusing to leave his face. The blood colored his teeth red. 'But that won't stop me from killing you!'

'Just shut the fuck up already!' Bayley snarled. She was getting fed up with the demon's taunting.

The grin disappeared from Viktor's face once more when he was about to punch Bayley in the face.

Meanwhile, Konnor and Undertaker had engaged into a full-on fist fight, striking each other in the face as hard as they could. Konnor showed exactly why he was the powerhouse of the cruel duo he formed with Viktor; getting hit by him was akin to being struck by a sledgehammer. But Undertaker refused to be defeated by this power-drunk behemoth. He refused to be humiliated once more, to let his name being dragged through the mud again, to force himself into deeper isolation.

He would rather die than lose at the hands of a dishonorable demon like Konnor.

Undertaker was even taller than his opponent, giving him a slight advantage. He managed to strike him back a few times, he could feel the skin on Konnor's face rip underneath the leather of his gloves. Suddenly, he felt something grabbing him tightly around his waist and the demon was levitated into the air. Konnor had now put his telekinetic powers to work; he was more than willing to slowly break every bone in his body, making sure his death would be slow and agonizing. Undertaker tried to fight it, but couldn't break free. An invisible hand grabbed his arm and started to twist it, it didn't last long before the pressure made his muscles feel like ripping. Konnor menacingly grinned from ear when he watched the Undertaker struggle; being able to make the demon suffer so much was worth all the virgins he and his companion had killed.

'No!'

A bolt of purple lightning knocked Konnor to the ground, his powers letting go of Undertaker. Bayley had saved Undertaker just in time before his first limb would be broken. The demon landed on the floor on his feet, briefly cradling his painful arm. He wanted to thank Bayley for saving him, but there was no time for that now.

'You dumb bitch!' Viktor exclaimed. Chains emerged from the palms of his hands and ensnared Bayley, wrapping around her neck and limbs. A red energy flickered around the chains, causing massive shocks of pain to travel through her entire body. The ponytailed woman screamed in pain, almost collapsing to the ground.

'Never let your guards down during a fight!' Viktor shouted with sadistic glee. 'That foolish mistake will cost you your pathetic life! Now… die!'

Just when he was about to put more energy into the chains to make Bayley suffer more, Viktor was struck against the head by a shadowy energy beam. Knocked to the floor with a painful thud, the world around Viktor looked like it was trembling, the impact had hit him hard. A thick stream of blood trickled down his face.

Bayley collapsed to the ground, her body still quivering from the pain.

'Are you alright, Bayley?!' Undertaker asked, running towards her to help her getting up. He knelt down and helped the young woman getting up on her feet; her legs were trembling as she got up.

'Y-yeah, I… I think so, thanks…' Bayley groaned.

Just then, she heard rapid footsteps echoing through the main hall. She saw Konnor charging towards Undertaker, his face darkened with rage and red energy swirling around his fists.

'Undertaker, look out!' the ponytailed woman exclaimed.

The demon turned around just in time before Konnor could strike him. He grabbed him by the waist, holding them with all the strength he possessed. Undertaker send all the energy he had towards his arms, more and more electricity danced around his hands, already rupturing the skin on Konnor's waist. The tall demon grunted in a mix of pain and panic, trying to break free while his eyes grew wide with fright.

But it was useless.

There was no escape.

Undertaker blasted off two large lightning bolts, the power caused Konnor's body to be blown in half. Blood and organs splattered on the floor, his spine snapped like a match. The demon let out a strangled scream, the upper part of his body fell on the ground in a pool of his own blood. It surprised Bayley that she didn't scream in horror; she could only feel relief.

But Viktor felt anything but relief. He had watched in shock as his companion was severed in half, now lying on the ground like an useless pile of flesh.

He was outnumbered, he realized. Fucking hell, he was outnumbered! This was impossible, they had consumed the amount of life forces they needed to do this, how was it possible their goal had failed?! But there was no time to ponder about that; he had to retreat, now.

The ponytailed demon quickly transformed into his shadow form and slithered away, like the snake he was. Bayley could notice him in the corner of her eye, by this time he was already near the door opening.

'Come back here, you bastard!' she shouted, running after the shadow. But by the time she could reach him, Viktor had already escaped, disappeared into the haunting darkness of the woods.


	22. Memories Regained

**Chapter 22**

 **Memories Regained**

The mortally wounded Konnor coughed, making blood spray out his mouth and staining his battered face with the red, iron-flavored liquid.

He couldn't believe it… he couldn't fucking believe it. He couldn't feel anything from below his waist, except for unimaginable pain, which was mostly likely because the lower part of his body had been blown off of him. The lower part of his body was lying not too far away from him, it was almost sickening for him to look at. Too weak to support himself on his elbows in order to look around, the tall demons only managed to look at the ceiling and his sides, but he couldn't see Viktor anywhere.

Where the hell was he?

Then it sank into Konnor; his companion had left him for dead.

The rage boiling inside his severed body burned with such heat it increased the pain, which only angered him more. If it wasn't for the fact that he was on the brink of death, he would've gone after his treacherous partner and give him the same treatment to that jackass in the Mortal Realm.

But now that he was lying on the ground, losing more blood by the second, he was completely powerless.

Looking up, he saw the Undertaker looking down at him with his cold green eyes. It had all been for nothing, Konnor suddenly realized. Blinded by their own pride, he and Viktor were convinced they were the ones who could kill the mighty Undertaker. They thought they could take him on after they were convinced they had consumed enough life forces… damn it, if they hadn't rushed things, there would've been a bigger chance they could've defeated the bastard! With his eyes filled with hatred, Konnor stared back at Undertaker. Bayley was now standing next to him, the look in her eyes was just as cold as Undertaker's.

'You fool…' the demon with the black leather coat spoke. 'This is all of your doing. Was this what you desired all along?'

Despite the pain and powerlessness, Konnor curled the corners of his mouth in a mocking grin and chuckled; doing that made small drops of blood fly out of his mouth.

'Don't think this is over just yet, Undertaker…' he said with a creaking voice. 'Viktor is still out there… And when he finds you… He will kill you, along with that stupid little…'

But Undertaker didn't allow Konnor to insult Bayley; he stomped on the string of bowels that was still sticking out of the demon's upper body, causing him to scream at the top of his lungs as the agonizing pain crashed through him. It wouldn't last long before he would succumb to his injury… and the pain was the last thing he was ever going to feel.

Konnor was going to pay for all the misery he and Viktor had caused.

'Even when you're on the brink of death you still hold onto your pride…' Undertaker mumbled. 'You lived like an idiot… and now you will die like an idiot.'

'Fuck you…' Konnor groaned. His head started to feel lighter and lighter; it was only a matter of time before his life would come to an end. He glanced at Bayley, who was still giving him the coldest glare she could make.

'Go ahead then!' Konnor hissed. 'Show me what more you can do! Show me what that fucker has taught you, blow my head off, rip my heart out, do whatever you have to do to satisfy yourself! This is your chance for vengeance, bitch!'

Bayley slowly shook her head, her glare not leaving the dying demon for a second. She was not going to give him what he wanted, she would refuse that to the very end.

'No…' she said. 'I'm going to watch you suffer, just like you and Viktor did when you were stalking me. I'm not going to kill you… forget about it.'

Staring at Bayley, Konnor realized something he never thought would ever happen.

The tables had turned.

The hunter had become the prey, while the prey had turned into the hunter. Fucking hell, he couldn't fucking believe it. Who would've thought that the virgin they had spotted on that fateful night, that same virgin bitch they had stalked for days and mercilessly tormented, would be standing over him and watch as he was slowly dying? Konnor didn't want to believe it, it was too humiliating for words.

'Fuck… you…' Konnor whispered. Another cough emerged from his throat, bringing a small wave of blood along with it. 'You're… nothing…'

The dying demon's sight became clouded with black spots, growing thicker and thicker. His head had never felt this light before, which made him emit a soft groan; the kind of groan somebody who was dying would make.

Undertaker understood that it wouldn't last long anymore. He knelt down and grabbed Konnor by the jaw, forcing him to look at him.

'You're less than nothing, Konnor.' he said. 'But at least I won't allow your life force to go to waste.'

Then Undertaker rolled his emerald green eyes in the back of his skull and stuck out his long tongue. The appearance slightly startled Bayley, it made Undertaker look even more demonic than he already was. Suddenly, his entire body was shrouded with shadows, the darkness was so thick the ponytailed woman couldn't see his clothes anymore, all that remained was a shadowy humanoid shape with two piercing green eyes. Konnor widened his eyes in horror as he realized what was going to happen next.

The shadowy form of the Undertaker was the last thing he would see.

His mouth was forced open. A thick blue mist emerged from his opened mouth; his life force. It flowed into Undertaker's mouth and there was nothing Konnor could do to stop it. All he could do was watch as his life was being sucked straight out of him. He tried to lift his arms in order to shove the demon away from him, but he was too weak. Darkness completely blinded him as he felt his last bit of strength leaving his severed body.

After Undertaker consumed all of the life force, Konnor died immediately, his back of his head hitting the floor with a dull thud.

The demon reverted back into his normal form, pulling his tongue back into his mouth and rolling his eyes back into place. Konnor's life force had a bitter aftertaste, but at least it was not wasted. It would serve well as fuel for his strength.

For a moment, it was completely quiet in the destroyed main hall.

'It was you…' Bayley suddenly whispered with a hoarse voice.

Undertaker looked up and his impossibly green eyes met Bayley's, which were widened with pure shock.

'It was you, all along…'

The ponytailed woman's heart felt like it had stopped beating. What she had seen eighteen years ago was not the wild imagination of an ill little girl running rampant. The shadowy 'man' that had taken her mother's life was real. She remembered it all now. Bayley's head felt like spinning, she couldn't believe it. Undertaker, the one who saved her from Viktor and Konnor, helped her overcome a part of her grief, opened her eyes with tough words, gave her the powers she needed, taught her how to fight, became a friend to her… was in fact the killer of her mother in disguise.

It was Undertaker in his shadow form she saw on that horrifying night.

'On the night my mother died, I saw a shadowy humanoid figure standing next to her bed… that was you, wasn't it?'

It all came back to Undertaker as well now. He remembered on one night, while feeding on the life force of that dying woman, a little girl holding a plush dog had entered her room and started shouting hysterically at him after her mother had died. The demon had never thought back of that incident for eighteen years… but now he was facing that girl once more.

'You were that little girl…' Undertaker spoke, his voice surprisingly calm. This was too surreal for words.

Bayley could feel the complete shock and disbelief make place for a whole new emotion.

Rage.

Rage that was burning with the heat of Hell itself.

'Why did you do it?!' she shouted at the top of her lungs. The feelings of friendship she had for Undertaker was gone; she felt nothing more but pure hatred. 'Why did you kill my mother?! What has she ever done to you?!'

'Bayley, I-'

'You fucking bastard! All this time, I thought you were my friend! God, I can't fucking believe this! I have been helping the murderer of my mom all along! I trusted you, goddamn it! You murderer!' Tears of anger burned in the ponytailed woman's eyes, but she refused to let the tears spill over her eyelids. That bastard wasn't worth her tears. Bayley started pounding on Undertaker's chest with her fists, blinded by rage. She had never been this enraged in her entire life. The demon grabbed her wrists, the tight grip was painful but Bayley didn't even feel it.

'I hate you!' she yelled. 'I hate you, I hate you, I hate you!'

'Stop it, Bayley!' Undertaker replied in a calm voice, but you could hear he was obviously trying to control his anger. 'Listen to me for-'

'No!'

Bayley managed to break free from the Undertaker's grip and slapped him right in the face as hard as she could. Her powers made the slap more powerful, leaving a red handprint on the demon's cheek and causing the sound of the slap to echo through the entire mansion. Despite the burning pain on his cheek, Undertaker remained calm and looked straight into Bayley's eyes, but she was completely unmoved.

'Remember, Bayley…' he spoke, almost on the verge of losing his temper. 'I am not the enemy here.'

The ponytailed woman slowly shook her head, glaring at him. 'I won't fight along with you any longer… I'm going after Viktor alone.'

She turned around and walked to the destroyed door opening. A cold evening breeze rolled into the mansion, but it didn't do anything to cool her anger. She turned around to glance at Undertaker for one last time. It didn't look like he was planning to go after her. He just stared at her with an almost emotionless look in his eyes; it was exactly the same way he stared at her after he killed her mother.

'You're dead to me, Undertaker.' Bayley hissed bitterly. Then she ran out the mansion, into the darkness of the woods.


	23. Hunting You Down

**Chapter 23**

 **Hunting You Down**

If you thought the woods looked terrifying at daytime, you sure as hell didn't want to go for a walk in said woods at nighttime. The woods now looked like something straight out of a nightmare, with monsters hiding in the thick shadows, ready to pounce you and tear out your heart before devouring you. A gust of wind ran through the branches of the trees, making them creak heavily, adding more eeriness to the already creepy atmosphere. While running through the dark woods, Bayley didn't bat an eye for the haunting darkness, she was too angered to do that. Right now, she had only one thing on her mind.

Hunting down Viktor and defeat him.

The terrified young woman from the Mortal Realm was gone; she was replaced with a fierce fighter who would stop the evil demon who terrorized her life at any cost. There was not a bit of inch of fear left in her body, it had made place for the demonic powers and the rage flowing through her veins. She was completely fearless; she was ready for a fight.

Bayley refused to fight alongside Undertaker any longer, not after she had found out what he had done to her mother. Her mentor, her friend, was a coldblooded killer in disguise. All the trust and friendship she felt for him were gone. There was no more friendship; she hated him. She hated him from the bottom of her heart. Bayley would never be able to forgive Undertaker for killing her mother. It was all because of him her father had to sleep alone at night, it was his fault that her mother was never able to attend Bayley's high school graduation, he was to blame for a big part of Bayley's childhood lacking a mother figure.

But there was no time to fixate her mind on that. There was something more important she had to do right now.

Find Viktor... and kill him.

'Viktor!' the ponytailed woman called out. 'I know you are out there! Come out and show yourself, you son of a bitch!'

But the only response she got was a gust of wind rolling through the woods, causing the leaves on the branches of the trees to rustle loudly. It sounded like a thousand voices were whispering at the same time. Something like this would make anybody's skin crawl, but Bayley ignored the horrors the nature of the Demon Realm had to offer her. Her mind was set on one particular demon.

'Fight me, you coward!'

The light of the full moon was the only source of light in the dark woods, dimly illuminating the path in front of Bayley's eyes. The ponytailed woman stopped running and looked around her, catching her breath. It was completely quiet, if you counted out the sound of her beating heart that was echoing through her head.

'Where are you, Viktor?!' Bayley yelled.

A rustle above her head made her look up.

She quickly realized who could be hiding up in that tree.

Bayley's instinct was proven right when she saw a big shadow jumping off the branch; she could duck away just in time before it could hit her, landing on the ground. Looking up, she saw the identity of her shadowy attacker.

Viktor. The bastard must have been waiting for her.

'You...!' Bayley hissed, feeling the hatred boiling inside her. She quickly got up on her feet; she was ready for a second fight.

'I see Undertaker is not with you...' the ponytailed demon said with a grin. 'Poor little helpless Bayley, how are you going to fight me on your own?'

But Viktor's mocking voice didn't move Bayley for an inch. She slowly shook her head, looking straight into the demon's eyes.

'I don't need protection anymore.' she replied. 'I can fight you alone!'

'We will see about that.'

Viktor charged at Bayley, clenching his fist which was surrounded with red energy, ready to strike her. The ponytailed woman saw what was coming to her. Before his knuckles could touch her face, Bayley quickly countered and punched him in the stomach with all the strength she had, her powers increasing the impact. It felt like Viktor's organs were crushed into a pile of mush: a thin trickle of blood escaped his mouth.

'Argh! You bitch!' he shouted.

The ponytailed demon struck Bayley against her head with his fist before striking that same spot again with his knee, knocking her to the ground. Her surroundings looked like they were trembling as a sharp pain filled her head. Dark spots clouded her mind, but Bayley fought to retain her consciousness. Letting out a groan, she tried to get up, but her painful head prevented her of doing so.

Viktor darkly chuckled. 'That was way too easy!' he said, wiping the blood off the corner of his mouth. 'Now stay still while I kill you!' He raised his foot, about to give her the stomp on the head that would end her life for sure. Bayley could see between the black blurs.

'Hell no.' she groaned.

The ponytailed woman launched a lightning bolt at Viktor, sending him flying against a tree. The impact nearly caused the tree to shatter into splinters. Bayley quickly took advantage and managed to get back up her feet, despite the pain in her head.

'If you think you can defeat me that easily, you're wrong!' she shouted.

Viktor glared straight at her, ignoring the pain in his entire body. If he would get his hands on her, he was going to kill her in the slowest, most painful way possible; he was going to make that his life mission.

He transformed into his shadow form and charged at Bayley in full speed. From his shadow, strings of iron chains were fired at her, but with one single blast of purple electricity, the chains were shattered into tiny pieces. But that didn't stop Viktor from reaching Bayley, transforming back into his normal form in the blink of an eye and hitting her on her temple, sending another explosion of pain through her head. The ponytailed demon pinned her to the ground, punching her on the head with his fist over and over again. He could feel the skin on his knuckles burst open, but the thirst to kill Bayley overcame all kinds of pain.

Bayley tried to fight back, but with every punch an extra black smear was added to her sight. The pain in her head mixed with a lightness that took over her mind. Was she losing her consciousness or was she dying? Bayley didn't know, but she tried her best to fight against what was happening to her. She could feel blood trickling down her face, that son of a bitch Viktor must have cut open her skin. But despite her will to fight, the light feeling in her head prevented her of using her powers. And before the ponytailed woman could realize it, everything around her went black.

Slowly panting, Viktor got up and looked at the damage he had caused. Bayley's face was covered in blood and her body wasn't moving.

She was dead; Viktor was convinced of it.

The demon grinned from ear to ear and chuckled, admiring his work. It was a shame she had died so quickly, but at least the job was done.

'Thought you could fight me, you little bitch?' he said with a mocking voice. He spat a mixture of blood and saliva on Bayley's motionless body, humiliating her more. 'Look at yourself now... I can't believe you were so goddamn stupid.'

He turned around, assuming that her body would turn into ashes at any moment now. 'I think it's time for me to leave now.' he mumbled. 'Who knows... maybe I will go after that redhead bastard next.'

Viktor may have beaten her senseless, but he was wrong about one thing; Bayley was still alive and kicking.

Between the fading black blurs in front of her eyes, Bayley watched as Viktor created a portal in order to travel to the Mortal Realm. No... she couldn't let him escape. If she would do that, he would go after Sami! She would never let him get hurt by this son of a bitch, she didn't care if she would die, as long as she would stop Viktor before he could get to Sami. Her burning will to continue fighting is what made the last remaining black spots fade away. Bayley slowly got up, making sure Viktor wouldn't notice her. She ignored the pain in her head. By now, Viktor was done creating the portal and was ready to step inside it to make the trip.

But just before he could set foot in it...

'No!' Bayley shouted at the top her lungs.

She charged at Viktor and tackled him, catching him by surprise. There was no way in hell that bastard was going to travel alone.

They both fell right into the portal before it disappeared into thin air.

* * *

Meanwhile in the Mortal Realm, Sami, Dolph and Paige stared in complete awe and silence at the mirror the female demon had grabbed from her bedroom above the store after the previous mirror had shattered.

They had seen everything. The mirror had followed Bayley around like an invisible camera. Even after the portal disappeared when she and Viktor had fallen in it, they remained silent for a little while.

'Paige...' Sami said, breaking the silence. 'Can you please tell me about what the fuck just happened?!'

'Well gentlemen...' Paige replied. 'You were just witnesses to a fight between Konnor and Viktor and your girlfriend with the Undertaker.' But just like Sami and Dolph, Paige had so many questions. Despite the fact that they had seen everything, they couldn't hear a single sound. And she had to admit, Bayley had an enormous amount of guts to hit the Undertaker in the face like that. She saw the completely hysterical look on her face, but had no idea what the former strongest demon in all of the Demon Realm had done to upset her that much. She didn't feel any pity for Konnor when he died; that's what cocky bastard deserved. When she was still a resident of the Demon Realm and attended the Tournament, she had witnessed the moment where Undertaker was defeated by his opponent, ending his winning streak. Just like many other demons, Paige was in utter shock. But it didn't last long before she heard Viktor and Konnor bragging about wanting to put their hands on Undertaker as well. She hadn't said anything, but she had highly disagreed; there was no honor in defeating somebody who was already defeated. Not long after that, Paige had decided to leave the Demon Realm to live a more peaceful life in the Mortal Realm.

'Where did Bayley get those powers?' Sami asked. He had never seen somebody kicking ass like that before in his entire life. For a brief moment, he was actually proud of Bayley for fighting like this before switching back to awe.

'She must have gotten those powers from Undertaker.' Paige said. 'Judging by what I've seen, he must have trained her well.'

'But where the hell did they go?' Dolph asked. 'I saw them stepping through that portal!'

'It's very likely that they traveled back to the Mortal Realm...' the female demon answered. 'They could be in this city!'

Immediately after hearing those words, the blonde detective got up from his seat. 'Then let's go get them!' he exclaimed.

Sami nodded in agreement and got up as well.

'Hold on!' Paige said. 'Don't think you can take on a demon with normal weapons. Those bullets you have in your pistol, detective... they won't affect Viktor for one bit. He will kill you two before you can do any real damage to him. Wait here, I will give you something useful.'

Paige got up from her chair and walked towards the cupboard. She opened a drawer and searched for something, which she quickly found. She grabbed an amulet with a glowing pink crystal attached to it and handed it over to Sami.

'Here.' she said. 'The brighter the crystal glows, the closer a demon is. Use it to guide you to them. And for you...'

She went back to the drawer of the cupboard and grabbed a small red velvet bag. She gave it to Dolph.

'These bullets are made of rock salt. They will not kill Viktor, but they can cause quite some damage to him. There are only six of them, so use them wisely.' The female demon briefly chuckled. 'I'm actually kinda glad to give them away, to be honest.'

Dolph opened the bag and poured the contents in his hand. The six bullets looked like the normal bullets he always used for his pistol, but he could clearly see they had a different, more rough texture. He emptied the cylinder of his pistol and reloaded it with the new bullets. The cylinder closed with a soft click.

'I'm ready.' Dolph mumbled. 'There is no time to lose, we have to find them, now!'

'Damn straight.' Sami said. 'I'm going to make Viktor pay for everything he has done to Bayley and Alexa! Come on, let's go!'

Then the redhead turned his attention to Paige. 'Paige, thank you for helping us. We owe you one.'

'No problem. Now, go! Safe Bayley, she needs you!'

Dolph and Sami nodded, turned around and left the backroom. They walked through the shop and exited it. The two got inside the car and drove away immediately, the amulet would now serve as their guide.

Paige stared through the shop window, watching until the car turned around the corner and disappeared out of her sight.

'Good luck to you both.' she mumbled.


	24. Rest In Peace

**Chapter 24**

 **Rest In Peace**

Bayley's aching head felt like spinning, but she ignored the nauseous feeling in her head and slowly got up.

The portal she and Viktor fell through had disappeared as soon as they arrived in the Mortal Realm. Together they flew through what looked like a dark tunnel, occasionally illuminated by sudden bright flashes. The trip between the Demon Realm and Mortal Realm was everything but pleasant; for a moment, Bayley was afraid she would be blinded by all the flashes she saw. A loud, monotone humming noise that was heard throughout the entire trip through the 'tunnel' nearly deafened her ears, it filled every bit of space inside her painful head. In the vortex of bright flashes that grew larger and appeared more frequently and the strange humming noise, Bayley could feel she was losing grip on Viktor; it was like a giant hand was pulling him away from her. Viktor noticed it and took advantage of this; with one blow to her head with his elbow, the demon managed to get away from her, disappearing into the large bright flashes. It took Bayley all the strength she had to retain her consciousness.

But now it looked like she had finally reached the other side of the portal.

The ponytailed woman looked around her, blinking her eyes a couple of times before she could get a clear sight of her surroundings. The rough trip between the Demon Realm and her home world had messed her senses up pretty much. Then her sight finally cleared up.

'Oh damn...' Bayley whispered.

Yes, it turned out that they had indeed traveled to the Mortal Realm... and she knew exactly where she was.

Her home town's abandoned cemetery.

The cold, dark night fitted perfectly with the sinister atmosphere lingering around the place. The closest lamppost was almost a kilometer away. A thin mist shrouded the tombstones planted in the cold, hard earth of the cemetery, some of the tombstones were completely covered in weeds due to lack of proper maintenance. This place had to be decades old, judging by the condition of her surroundings. A thick, rusty, iron chain that was wrapped around the main gate and secured with an old rusty padlock prevented adrenaline-seeking teenagers and paranormal investigators of entering the cemetery. Bayley was one of the handful of people who knew about the eerie rumors of this place. One day, before her life was turned upside down, she was about to exit her apartment complex to go to the gym when she overheard a little girl talking to her friend in the main hall. The girl, who lived with her mother on the first floor (rumors in the apartment complex had it that the woman fled with her daughter to avoid further abuse from her husband), told her friend that another friend from her had seen the ghost of an old woman dwelling around the abandoned cemetery before it mysteriously disappeared. Bayley had never thought of that story again... but now that she was standing here, it looked exactly like a place where restless spirits would roam.

And tonight, one ghost would join the others.

It would either be the ghost of Bayley or Viktor.

'Viktor!' Bayley called out loudly. 'Don't be a damn coward for once and come out!'

It looked like her wish was granted.

Letting out an enraged bellow, Viktor appeared out of the shadows and charged at Bayley with red energy swirling around his fist. He launched a beam of energy at the ponytailed woman, who could dodge it just in time. The energy hit a cross-shaped tombstone, shattering it into pieces.

'This will be it, Bayley...' Viktor said with a bloodthirsty grin on his face. 'This cemetery will be your eternal resting place! It will all end here for you!'

'Over my dead body!' the ponytailed woman hissed. Purple electricity crackled around her lower arms.

The final fight was on.

Bayley fired off a bolt of lightning at Viktor, who managed to dodge it before it could touch him. He ran towards her once more and was able to get her this time, grabbing her by the throat with both his hands. The demon squeezed it tightly, cutting off all oxygen. Bayley let out a strangled yelp as her throat was on the verge of being crushed into dust, clawing at Viktor's hands so violently that her fingernails left deep, bloody scratches. The demon didn't want to kill her just yet, oh no; he wanted her to suffer first.

But Bayley refused to die like this.

She punched Viktor in the face, her knuckles tearing open the skin on his cheekbone. The ponytailed demon let go of her, cradling his painful face. But there was not much time for Bayley to gasp for air. She immediately launched her knee into his stomach, making him emit a groan of pain and bend over. The ponytailed woman struck him with her knee once more, this time in the face. A sickening crack broke the eerie silence of the cemetery. Blood poured out of Viktor's broken nose in two thick streams, coloring the earth beneath him red.

'Argh! You fucking bitch!' Viktor bellowed furiously. 'I will fucking tear you apart!'

He aimed the palm of his hand at her and before Bayley could react, her entire body ensnared by the iron chains protruding from the demon's hand, making it impossible for her to move. Viktor's face had turned into a mask of pain mixed with pure rage. He grabbed the chains and using his inhuman strength, he swung Bayley around as if she was as light as a feather. The ponytailed woman struggled to break free, but without avail. Viktor crashed her into a row of tombstones with full force. Pieces of stone was send flying everywhere as the tombstones were shattered into pieces due to the powerful impact. Dust mixed together with the thin sheet of mist.

It was completely silent on the cemetery.

Viktor darkly chuckled. That little bitch was dead, this time he was sure of it. An impact like that would most likely kill anybody.

'Looks like I've won in the end...' he mumbled with a triumphant grin on his bloodied face. Even the agonizing pain in his broken nose didn't bother him; he had won, that was all that mattered to him. Viktor walked towards the pile of rubble; he wanted to lay eyes on the mutilated corpse of Bayley.

There she was, lying between the pieces of tombstones, her body covered in bloody cuts and deep red bruises. The grin on Viktor's face grew bigger; if the devil himself would sport a grin, it would look exactly like this one.

However, there was one thing that annoyed the demon.

He noticed that Bayley was still breathing.

The grin immediately disappeared from Viktor's face. Damn it, she still wasn't dead! How much could this bitch take before she would finally die?! Red electricity surrounded his fist, ready to give her the fatal blow.

'Die, you little bitch...!' Viktor hissed.

On that moment, Bayley opened her eyes.

She immediately launched a bolt of lightning at Viktor, sending him flying across the cemetery. He crashed against the stone wall surrounding the cemetery, cracking it. Letting out a groan of pain, Viktor looked up, glaring at Bayley.

'Why won't you die?!' he shouted angrily.

'Simple...' Bayley brushed off the dust from her battered arms, staring straight back at Viktor. Her body was aching all over, but she refused to let the pain pull her down. No matter how much pain she was suffering now, she was determined to fight until the end. 'I just refuse to.'

Anger exploded inside Viktor. He immediately got up on his feet and charged at Bayley. But this time, she wasn't planning to dodge it. She ran towards Viktor, thick streams of shadows swirling around her fists. The two ran towards each other as fast as they could, ready for the most brutal part of the fight.

Bayley was the first one who managed to launch a punch in her opponent's face with full force. By this point the skin on her knuckles had practically been torn off, but she barely felt it. Viktor was able to avoid the next punch thrown to him and hit the ponytailed woman on the jaw; Bayley wasn't sure if the bastard had broken it.

Both Bayley and Viktor had never felt so much pain in their lives before, but the rage and adrenaline that was crashing through their bodies made them keep on going. They didn't care how much bones they would break, how much skin would be ripped off their bodies, how much blood there would flow, as long as one was able to defeat and kill the other. Blood and sweat were sticking against their bodies, staining their clothes. There was no way in hell they refused to go down; defeat meant an immediate death.

But one blow to her bloodied temple made Bayley see dark spots, just like she did back in the Demon Realm. She fought to regain her balance, but she lost it and fell on the ground.

Blood stained Viktor's death as he grinned from ear to ear. This was his chance, this was his opportunity to kill her! One more punch should do it, one more punch and it would all be over! He prepared himself to throw one more punch, more than ready to put an end to her pathetic life.

A loud bang echoed through the cemetery and the next moment, Viktor felt a burning pain in his back. The pain was more intense than the pain he was already feeling, causing the ponytailed demon to collapse to the ground.

Bayley groaned and looked up, blinking a few times to make the black spots in front of her eyes disappear.

What she saw next made her heart cringe in relief.

'Sami...' she whispered almost inaudibly.

Sami was standing over there with a blonde detective, who was holding a pistol with smoke emerging from the muzzle. They must have had climbed over the stone wall. Oh God... It was really him...

Thank God, they had found her just in time.

Sami and Dolph had driven the car through half of the city until the magic amulet Paige had given them illuminated brighter. And the closer they got to the abandoned cemetery, the brighter it was glowing. That had to be it, that had to be the location.

Sami didn't know whether he should feel relieved or shocked to see his girlfriend. Her entire body was transparent and covered in blood... Jesus Christ, what the hell happened to her?!

'Bayley!' he exclaimed. 'Are you alright?!'

But there was no time for the ponytailed woman to the man she had missed so much. She heard a soft, angered groan. Viktor managed to get up on his feet and was glaring at the two men.

'You fuckers...' he spat out. 'You will pay for that!'

He charged at them; Bayley realized what was going to come next.

He was going to harm Sami.

'No!' she shouted.

She jumped up, ran towards Viktor and managed to grab the ponytailed demon just in time, tackling him to the ground. Viktor landed on the ground with his belly first. Bayley grabbed him by the back of the head and slammed his face into the ground a couple of times before wrapping her arm around his throat. With her free hand, she slowly twisted his head.

'You will not hurt him, you hear me?!' Bayley shouted. 'Don't you dare to hurt him!'

Viktor could feel a huge pressure on his cervical vertebrae. He tried to break free from Bayley's grip, but it was not only her powers that made her grip stronger; it was also her rage and adrenaline.

A sickening crack filled the ears of everyone.

Viktor's entire body went immediately numb, taking the pain away. His eyes widened with horror as a thin stream of blood trickled from the corner of his mouth. Bayley let go of him and got up on her feet. Viktor's panic-filled head hit the ground, his cheek touching the earth. His widened eyes darted around as he tried to move his limbs, but his body was completely paralyzed.

'You bitch!' he shouted. 'What the fuck have you done to me?!'

She broke his neck, he suddenly realized. That bitch snapped his goddamn neck like a twig.

Staring down at the paralyzed demon, Bayley realized something important.

It was time to put an end to this.

Time to put an end to this nightmare.

In the corner of her eye, the ponytailed woman saw a large cross-shaped tombstone that had been knocked over. She walked towards it and despite the heavy weight of the tombstone, she managed to pick it up with her superhuman strength. While she held the tombstone with both her hands and walked towards Viktor, only a few thoughts went through her bloodied head. If she would do this, she would avenge Alexa. Protect Sami. Prevent this bastard of hurting more people. Stop this madness. And she wanted to do it all.

Viktor's breathing had become rattling at this point. His eyes grew even wider when he saw Bayley's boots standing next of him. It was the only thing he could see since he was unable to lift his head. The ponytailed woman raised the tombstone high above her head. Looking up as much as he could, Viktor had never felt this powerless before in his entire life. Bayley stared straight back at him without any fear. This was the virgin woman he and Konnor had stalked mercilessly and nearly drove her to the edge of sanity. And now... she was the one who was going to put an end to his life.

'Rest in peace.' Bayley hissed.

She brought down the tombstone, aiming for Viktor's head.

'This can't be happening!' was Viktor's last thought. 'This is impos-'

Then the tombstone crushed the ponytailed demon's skull, splattering a mixture of blood, brains and chips of bone over the ground. Bayley watched as Viktor's body violently twitched a few times before lying completely still.

Viktor was dead.

Bayley fell on her knees, softly panting. A strange feeling filled her abdomen. She couldn't believe it. It was over... good God almighty, it was all over. Konnor and Viktor were both dead. They would never be able to hurt anybody again. She had avenged Alexa and protected Sami. She had survived her horrifying ordeal. Bayley wanted to cry in relief, but she couldn't. She had ran out of tears to cry a long time ago. The strange feeling was a mix between relief and disbelief, it was so overwhelming, it practically numbed her mind.

But it was not only Bayley who was feeling disbelief.

Holy hell... did his girlfriend really do this? Sami couldn't find any words to say. What he had seen was horrifying, but at the same time, he was proud of Bayley. She did it. She was finally able to put an end to all of this, the nightmare was over. Just like the redhead, Dolph was completely speechless. He would never forget what he had seen this night for as long as he lived.

Suddenly, Bayley felt like something was calling out for her. There was no sound, but she could clearly hear it. And for some reason, she knew exactly what it was.

Her comatose body.

Her body was calling out for her soul and it wasn't too far away from her. It was coming from the direction of where St. John Hospital was located. Her body was there waiting for her, she was certain of it. She felt that she was able to travel there and be reunited with her body.

But now that this was all over, she only wanted to see one person now.

'Sami!'

Bayley got up on her feet and walked towards Sami. 'Sami, I'm so happy to see you again... I've missed you so much!' she said, her voice almost on the verge of breaking.

There she was, the young woman he loved with all his heart. The redhead didn't see a monster or a freak, he just saw the woman he met on that fateful night in the bar. It was the same woman he fell in love with, the same woman that became his entire world.

The corners of Sami's mouth turned into a smile as tears of happiness welled up in his eyes. Finally, they were reunited at last!

But just as the reunited lovers could even touch hands...

'Bayley.'

The ponytailed woman recognized that voice like no other. Turning around, she could feel the anger flare up inside her again.

It was the Undertaker.

'Sami.' she said with a serious voice. 'I want you to go to St. John Hospital. I will meet you there. I have some business I still have to take care of.'

'W-what?' the redhead asked. 'But Bayley, you are-'

'Go to St. John Hospital!' Bayley said. 'Go there and visit my room, I promise we will meet up there!'

Sami seemed to hesitate for a moment, but eventually nodded. 'Okay then.' The redhead glanced at the demon in the black leather trench coat. 'But be careful, alright? I don't want to lose you again!'

'Don't worry about me.' Bayley replied, glaring at Undertaker. 'Just go. We will see each other again soon, I promise.'

Sami gave Dolph a nod. 'Let's get to St. John Hospital!'

'Right.' the detective answered.

The two men climbed over the stone wall of the cemetery, but before the redhead jumped off, he glanced at his girlfriend for one more time. God, he really hoped what she said was true. Sami and Dolph got inside the car and drove off to St. John Hospital.

Bayley listened until the sound of the car's engine became inaudible for her ears to hear. Then she turned around and glared at Undertaker.

Konnor and Viktor may be dead... but this wasn't completely over yet.


	25. Bitter Resentment And Reunited Lovers

**Chapter 25**

 **Bitter Resentment And Reunited Lovers**

Staring at Viktor's mutilated corpse, Undertaker could hardly believe it.

Bayley had taken on the demon all on her own and even managed to kill him... it was a miracle she wasn't the one who didn't got killed. Judging by the destroyed surroundings, it must have been a long and brutal fight. Tombstones were shattered to places, blood stained the earth, large cracks had appeared in the wall Bayley was standing close to. There was barely anything left of Viktor's crushed head; the only part of his head that came close to being left intact was his lower jaw, the rest had turned into a mush of blood, squashed brains and pieces of skull. Viktor had met a gruesome death... but that didn't mean he didn't deserve it.

Searching for Bayley after she ran away from the mansion was one of the hardest things Undertaker had ever done. He had searched everywhere for her in the dark woods, she had no idea what kind of risk she was taking. Danger was lurking in every shadow of the woods, Bayley could've been killed before she could even find Viktor. But despite the fact that Undertaker had visited any spot in the woods, he couldn't find the ponytailed woman. The demon was unable to sense her, which meant it was impossible that Bayley was still in the woods.

That's when he had an epiphany; she could've traveled to the Mortal Realm... or at least Viktor had taken her there.

He decided to go for it. Undertaker had created a portal and traveled from the Demon Realm to the Mortal Realm. Once he had arrived and stepped out of the portal, the demon could immediately catch a sense of Bayley. It was faint, but at least it was there. And it was coming from a much darker part of the city. As Undertaker ventured deeper into the darker part, he could feel the sense becoming stronger and stronger. His hunch was proven right. As he got closer to the abandoned cemetery, he heard sounds that heavily implied that a fight was happening at this moment. Bayley and Viktor were there, Undertaker could feel it in his bones. Time was running out, he shouldn't waste any more; the demon teleported himself to the cemetery, but by the time he got there, Viktor had already been defeated and killed.

But Undertaker knew that even though Konnor and Viktor were dead now, a large amount of rage was still residing inside Bayley... and that rage was most likely directed to him.

Bayley hadn't stopped glaring at him for a second. There was no way in hell she was going to hold back her hate and anger for the monster who took her mother's life... the monster who she thought was her friend.

'Give me one good reason why I shouldn't kill you right now!' Bayley hissed angrily.

'You may try if you want to...' Undertaker replied. 'But remember that I will fight back and hurt you if I must.'

'You have already hurt me enough, Undertaker! I trusted you, I thought you were my friend!'

Undertaker slowly shook his head. 'We were never friends, Bayley. A woman of your age should know the difference between friendship and an alliance.'

So cold... how could somebody be so damn cold? But it only cemented the image Bayley had of the demon now; a coldblooded killer. She had offered him kindness and friendship, but it meant nothing to him, that was obvious now. Bayley wanted him out of her life as fast as possible. He deserved to live all alone and miserable. But the ponytailed woman knew that before she could permanently ban him out of her life, she had to do one last thing.

It was everything but pleasant, but once it would be done, she could continue with her life.

Bayley walked towards Undertaker, still not removing her glare from him for once, not even blinking. Undertaker mentally prepared himself for a fight, but he soon saw that Bayley had no intentions to do so. She was now standing right in front of him. The demon had never seen such hateful brown eyes.

'Take back those disgusting powers you put inside me.' Bayley demanded. 'I don't want them in my body for another second.'

'You do realize what we have to do in order to do so, right?'

'Yeah, I'm aware of that.' Bayley snarled. 'But as soon as it's over, you can go back to your mansion and stay there for the rest of your life for all I care! I will go back to my normal life and try to continue with it, and I don't want you to be a part of it any longer!'

'If that's what you truly desire, Bayley...'

Undertaker gently grabbed Bayley's chin between his thumb and index finger, slightly tilting her head. Bayley knew what was coming. At this point she would rather fight a reanimated Viktor and Konnor all over again if she had to than kissing the murderer of her mother, but she knew it would be over soon. After that, she would guide herself back to her body and be reunited with Sami once and for all. The ponytailed woman stood on her tiptoes, her lips and Undertaker's were just less than a centimeter away. Then Undertaker planted a kiss on her lips.

Bayley clenched her eyes shut in disgust as she felt her stomach violently clenching together. God, she couldn't believe she had been sharing a kiss with the killer of her mother all along... For a moment, she didn't feel anything. Suddenly she felt that something inside her was indeed leaving her body, much to her relief. The dark energy that had been traveling through her veins all time long was now going back to its original owner. If Undertaker had dared to trick her into sharing a normal kiss, she wouldn't have hesitated for a moment to launch a bolt of lightning at him. Despite her rage, Bayley was happy Sami wasn't here to witness the kiss. Sami is the man she wanted to spend her life with, and he would always be that man. Bayley's head started to feel light as the energy left her body. Good. The sooner they were gone the sooner she would become a normal human being again. When Undertaker was done absorbing the energy out of her, he broke the kiss.

Bayley groaned, fighting the light feeling in her already sore head. But luckily it didn't last long before the feeling would fade away. She looked Undertaker straight in the eyes; she would resent those impossibly green eyes for as long as she lived.

'I never want to see you again.' the ponytailed woman said. 'You have taken a person I loved so much away from me... and I will never forgive you for that.'

'And if I told you the reason why I took your mother's life, would that soothe your anger?' Undertaker asked.

Bayley shook her head. 'I'm not sure if I would believe you if you did that.' she replied bitterly. 'Undertaker, you have completely lost my trust, I'm sure you will never earn it back. Ever. You demons are all the same. You only live to kill and destroy people's life. You are no different than Konnor and Viktor. I think the worst thing of all is that I have been fighting along my mother's killer's side all time long without even realizing it. You deserve to be alone, Undertaker! You have taken everything from me! I can hear my body calling out for me and I'm going back to it. I will try to live a normal life with Sami... and I don't want you to be in my life any longer. I never. Ever. Want to see you again.'

Then the ponytailed woman turned around, facing away from the 'man' she resented so much. She started to give into the calling of her body and as she did that, she noticed that her transparent, bloody, bruised body was glowing in a faint white light. She watched as her arm slowly disappeared in the white light illuminating her body.

She was preparing herself to travel back to her body, she realized.

Bayley turned around, glancing at the Undertaker for one last time. And just like when she left him behind in the mansion after discovering that shocking truth, it looked like he was completely emotionless, not making any plans to go after her. But that was fine with her.

'Goodbye, Undertaker.' Bayley said bitterly before the world around her looked like it was spinning. Her entire body had disappeared into the white light and transformed into a shapeless form of light. It flew away from the abandoned cemetery, heading towards St. John Hospital.

Standing amid the ruins of the battlefield, Undertaker was destined to be all alone once more.

* * *

A faint headache filled Bayley's head; it was the first thing she had felt during the time she had spend in the darkness.

It was enough the drive away the numbness she had felt for so long, making her head feel lighter and lighter, as if she was awakening from a long sleep. Her eyelids felt still too heavy to open them, but she didn't want to spend any more time in the darkness. When the ponytailed woman attempted to open her eyes, a more painful jolt traveled through her head, forcing her to keep her eyes closed. She tried to relax. It worked; her eyelids felt less heavier and the pain faded. Bayley decided to try it again. As carefully as possible, she slowly opened her eyes, only to be greeted by a somewhat bright light. She blinked her slightly sore eyes, trying to get adjusted to the light. Bayley dared to open her eyes more and saw what the source of the light was.

A fluorescent lamp.

Why was it here? What kind of place had a fluorescent lamp?

Then Bayley suddenly realized it; a hospital room.

The ponytailed woman's head felt like spinning when she fully opened her eyes, now staring right at the fluorescent lamp that was hanging above her on the ceiling. She tried to sit up, but that only increased the spinning feeling to the point where she was afraid to throw up. Bayley tried to relax once more and it again, it worked. She sat up with more ease and looked around her.

She realized she was lying in something comfortable; a hospital bed, she realized. An empty bed was placed on the opposite side. The monotone sound of a heart rate machine filled her ears. When Bayley looked at her arm, she saw that needles were put inside it, hooking her to clear fluids in a plastic bag on a pole. She was indeed in a hospital room.

Her soul had made it back to her body!

She was back!

Dear God, she was back!

Euphoria clouded Bayley's mind, but it soon faded away when she realized she was all alone in this hospital room. Sami wasn't here. Just then, she heard some voices in the distance, behind the closed door of her room. The voices were coming from the hallway. They were kind of hard to hear, but Bayley could understand what they were saying.

'Sir, the visiting hours are over, you can't see Ms. Martinez now!'

'You don't get it, I have to see her now!'

'It's alright ma'am, I'm a detective. Please let this man see his girlfriend.'

'But still...'

Bayley recognized one of the voices like no other.

'Sami!' she called out. 'Sami, I'm here!'

It was completely quiet on the hallway for a moment. Then the ponytailed woman heard rapid footsteps that became louder as they came closer to her room, mixed with the protests of what had to be the nurse working at this late hour. The door swung open and the door handle hit the wall, leaving a small dent due to the impact.

It felt like time in the hospital room stood still.

There he was... the man she loved more than life itself.

Sami was standing in the doorway, his eyes wide and staring right at Bayley. The ponytailed woman stared back at him, both unable to move and speak for a moment. Then the redhead emitted a loud sob, walked towards Bayley and wrapped his arms around her, pulling her in for a warm embrace.

Finally, after a long, nightmarish time, the lovers had been reunited.

'You're back, Bayley...!' Sami whispered while tears ran down his cheeks. He ran his hand over her head over and over again, never wanting to let her go. 'You're finally back...!'

This is what she had longed for so much on those lonely nights in the Demon Realm... and now Sami was with her at last! Bayley closed her eyes and hugged her boyfriend back, burying her face against his shoulder. Tears over happiness spilled over her eyelids as she held him closer to her. Nothing could ever separate these lovers again.

'I missed you so much...' Bayley sobbed. 'Never let me go, never leave my side...'

'I promise I won't, babe...' Sami replied, giving her a kiss on the forehead. 'I'll never let you go for a long as I live...!'

Glancing over Sami's tear-stained shoulder for a moment, Bayley noticed the blonde detective and the nurse she had heard earlier standing in the doorway, staring at the couple. Both of them were absolutely speechless. But she saw that one person was missing... and she could guess why.

'Alexa...' Bayley softly spoke. 'She's... dead, isn't she?'

Sami looked up and looked into her in the eyes. He slowly nodded. 'Yes... I'm afraid so. While you were in a coma, she ended up in a coma as well and passed away later on. I'm so sorry, babe.'

So it was true... Alexa did really die in the Mortal Realm. More tears flowed down Bayley's cheeks as she buried her face against Sami's shoulder once more. The lovers remained in their embrace for what felt like centuries to them, but they refused to let go of each other.

From that night on, Bayley and Sami would stay together forever.


	26. A New Life

**Chapter 26**

 **A Normal Life**

This had been the hardest six months of Bayley's life, but she was convinced that things had become better now.

The ponytailed woman wasn't allowed to leave St. John Hospital the next day after she woke up from her coma (or to put it more correctly, after her soul was reunited with her body), since the doctors wanted to run a couple of tests on her to check if she had sustained any kind of brain damage. But luckily, her brains were perfectly fine, no damage was found much to the doctors' surprise. However, she had to get used to walking again; when she tried to get off her hospital bed, her legs felt awfully weak, forcing her to sit down back on the bed. But with a lot of practice and the love and support of Sami, Bayley managed to find back the strength in her legs and her locomotion was restored for the biggest part.

Sami had never left her side during the last days in the hospital, he had always been there for his girlfriend. The redhead visited the hospital every day and would stay until the visiting hours were over. Just like her, he wanted her to recover as soon as possible. He had watched how Bayley improved every time after a day of training in the hospital's physio department and he was so damn proud of her. The redhead had finally been reunited with the love of his life, it was all he ever wished for. She was alive and well and he was able to hold her in his arms.

After a week of staying in St. John Hospital, Bayley was free to go home. While she and Sami walked to the hospital's parking lot, they both hoped they would never return to that place anytime soon.

But the hardest part of the recovery was still awaiting the young woman...

While they were sitting on the terrace of a restaurant to celebrate Bayley's physical recovery, the ponytailed woman had told everything to Sami about her adventure in the Demon Realm. She told him about the true identity of her kidnapper, the old mansion she was staying in, Alexa... at that point, it felt like a lump with the size of a meteor was stuck in Bayley's throat. She could clearly see that tears were welling up in Sami's brown eyes as he listened to her, but he controlled himself. Bayley also told the redhead about the bloody fight that occurred in the mansion between her with Undertaker and Viktor with Konnor. However, she didn't tell about the way she received the powers from Undertaker; she didn't want to upset Sami after everything that had happened. Besides, she was convinced she couldn't even tell Sami about it without gagging. Bayley tried to talk about Undertaker as less as possible, she couldn't bear speaking out that damn name. When Sami asked what happened after he appeared on the cemetery, Bayley said that they went separate ways.

And she dearly hoped it would remain that way.

Sami had told Bayley about Dolph, the blonde detective she had seen when she had woken up. He had been a great help to him on his quest to bring her back and find Konnor and Viktor. Detective Dolph Ziggler sounded like a great guy... Bayley would've liked to meet him. And of course Sami didn't forget about Paige, because after all, it was thanks to her that they were finally able to locate Bayley and save her in time.

Both Sami and Bayley thought everything would be okay from now on...

Alexa's funeral was on the day after Bayley left the hospital. The weather on that day was quite fitting with this occurrence; the sky was covered in thick, grey clouds and it was raining, adding more sadness to the already depressing day. Sami put his arm around Bayley in order to comfort her when they watched Alexa's coffin being lowered into her grave. Despite the comforting gesture of her boyfriend, the ponytailed woman couldn't stop crying. She felt so guilty... If Alexa had never befriended her, she would still be alive. She was so young, she still had a whole life ahead of her, but she had the bad luck to become friends with Bayley. Alexa's parents, who were also attending the funeral, didn't say anything to her, but Bayley had the strong feeling they were somehow blaming her for their daughter's untimely death. She confessed this feeling after the funeral to Sami, who immediately said that there was nothing to feel guilty about. Konnor and Viktor were the ones to blame for Alexa's death, not her. Those words gave Bayley reassurance and slightly eased her mourning for her best friend.

The first month had to be the worst month of them all. Bayley may have had survived her terrifying ordeal, but that didn't mean it had left some deep scars. Viktor and Konnor, the demons that had tormented her mercilessly, were dead... but after everything that had happened, Bayley felt everything but at ease. The memories of the Demon Realm were haunting her, refusing to leave her alone. No matter how much she tossed and turned in her bed at night, she couldn't fall asleep. And even if she had sleep, that was if she was lucky, it all came back to her in her dreams. It happened all over again; the torturous stalking, the suffocating fear, her stay in the Demon Realm, Alexa's death, the first fight against the demons, the shocking truth that destroyed her friendship with the Undertaker, the fight with Viktor at the cemetery, the moment when the tombstone crushed his head... it was more than enough to make her sit up straight in her bed and scream like there was no tomorrow. But much to her relief, Sami didn't even leave her side at night; he would sleep on the couch in the living room for her, there was no way he was going to deny Bayley her own bed. He would often come over at night to keep an eye on her. The redhead would wake up, rush into her bedroom and try his best to calm his girlfriend down with soothing words and a hug. Feeling Sami's arms around and hearing his warm voice were the only things Bayley needed to remember that she was safe.

But even at daytime, the memories wouldn't leave her mind. Whenever she and Sami would go out to the city park or the shopping mall, she would often look around her shoulder with slightly widened eyes if she saw anything that reminded her of her ordeal, like seeing men dressed in black clothing. But no matter how many times he had to wake up in order to calm her down or reassure her that everything was fine whenever they would go out, Sami was always there for her. He loved her with all his heart, he was determined to get her life back on track.

And after a long month, it looked like the worst part of the trauma was over.

Bayley seemed to be more relaxed, she was able to sleep without any nightmares and started to look less over her shoulder in public. Sami was glad to see his girlfriend's anxiety lessen. They were heading into the right direction, they were coming closer to living a normal life.

And it wouldn't last long before he was going to ask Bayley the question he wanted to ask for so long...

One evening in the second month, Sami invited Bayley to go have dinner in a restaurant near the beach. Seeing her smile when she accepted the offer made a pleasant warmth well up inside his heart. They drove to the restaurant, where Sami had booked a table for two. The restaurant wasn't too crowded, which they were both happy about. Bayley ordered a dish of salmon with spinach and Sami ordered spaghetti with meatballs. They enjoyed their dinner at candlelight, Sami was happy to hear his girlfriend speaking without a hint of anxiety in her voice. The couple chatted and laughed, they were having a great time. So far, everything was perfect, it was exactly what Sami had pictured inside his head. But little did Bayley know that the redhead a little extra surprise in store for her... After they both finished eating their dessert (dame blanche for Bayley and a slice of cherry pie with whipped cream for Sami), Sami paid the check and they left the restaurant to enjoy a romantic walk on the beach.

While holding hands, the couple slowly walked over the beach; they had all the time in the world. The sun was going down, but the temperature was still quite pleasant. Small waves soaked the sand before it would fully absorb it. The beach was deserted, there was nobody in sight. Sami put his hand inside the pocket of his trousers, his fingers touched a small, dark blue, velvet box. Thank goodness, it was still there. He glanced at Bayley and his heart was once again glowing with the pleasant warmth. God, she was so beautiful... despite everything that had happened, she had never lost her beauty and wonderful personality.

This was the moment.

Sami went down on one knee. Upon seeing that, Bayley's eyes went wide with surprise and covered her mouth with both her hands. Oh my God... was he going to...?!

With a broad smile spread across his face, Sami pulled out the small velvet box out of his pocket and opened it, revealing a ring with a tiny, yet elegant diamond placed on it. The redhead would never forget the words he spoke, until the day he would die.

'Bayley Martinez... Will you marry me?'

Tears of happiness welled up in Bayley's eyes. Quickly nodding, she said yes; of course she wanted to marry him! Sami carefully put the ring on the ponytailed woman's ring finger, got up on his feet and the two shared a loving kiss.

That night, Sami became the first man Bayley slept with. He touched her everywhere, gave her gentle kisses, made sure he wasn't hurting her; everything he did to her felt so good, she couldn't get enough of it. It didn't hurt at all, the ponytailed woman was completely relaxed. After that one special moment, they cuddled up together and enjoyed the relaxing aftermath. Sami ran his fingers through his fiancée's hair and kissed her multiple times on her head; Bayley had never felt this happy before.

It didn't last long before the engaged couple moved into their new apartment together. The apartment complex was close to the city park, the apartment itself had two bedrooms and a nice kitchen, the rent was payable and overall looked super cozy; definitely the kind of place any couple would like to live in. This was the place where they were going to make new, beautiful memories. Sami and Bayley had specifically looked for an apartment with two bedrooms, because they both shared a special wish...

They wanted a baby.

During the following months they had tried many times, but finally on the fifth month, Bayley became pregnant. She thought she would burst with joy when she saw the positive result on the pregnancy test that fateful afternoon in the bathroom. Both she and Sami were the happiest people in the world on that day. They talked about it a lot, but they had finally decided about the names for their unborn child; it would be Molly if it was a girl, Tristan if it was a boy. Bayley and Sami were convinced these were going to be the best nine months of their lives.

Both still had contact with detective Dolph Ziggler. Despite the fact that he was working for many hours, even at night, they were often able to visit him and his wife Kaitlyn at his home. The terrifying events didn't do anything to make Dolph quit his career, hell, it made him even more passionate for his work. The blonde detective was no longer skeptic about the supernatural, he always kept the possibility in his mind whenever he was investigating a case.

It looked like Bayley finally had her life back on track. The horrible memories of her ordeal were overclouded by her current happiness; she was engaged to Sami, they had a nice apartment together, she was pregnant with their first child... it was amazing.

Her life was perfect now.

* * *

'Hmm! It was delicious, Kaitlyn!' Sami said after he wiped his mouth with a napkin.

'Thanks! You think you're still up for a cup of coffee?'

'I can take it, don't worry about that.'

Bayley and Sami were having dinner at Dolph and Kaitlyn's place. The detective's wife had prepared fresh lasagna and hands down, it was absolutely delicious. Dolph had always bragged about Kaitlyn's cooking skills whenever the couple would visit them and it turned out it was true. Bayley and Kaitlyn got along great. At first Bayley felt guilty for making a new friend; she felt like she was betraying Alexa like this. But she would never forget about Alexa, she would always be her best friend to her. She was moving forward in her life, there was nothing wrong with meeting new people; that thought made her feel less guilty.

'Do you want something to drink too, Bayley? A bottle of beer?' Kaitlyn asked.

The ponytailed woman laughed and shook her head. 'No thanks! I don't think that would be a good idea now.' She pointed at her belly, where her unborn baby was still developing.

'Oh yeah, right...' Kaitlyn said, remembering the fact that Bayley was one month with child. 'Sorry about that!'

'It's alright, Kait. But I'd like some coffee too, thanks.'

A little while later, Dolph, Kaitlyn, Sami and Bayley enjoyed a hot cup of coffee. They shared a nice conversation and sometimes one of them would crack a joke, earning a hearty laugh from the rest.

'So, how are things holding up at the police station, Dolph?' Sami asked, taking a sip of his coffee. 'Are you going to get that promotion anytime soon?'

'Nah, I don't think I will get it just yet. But things have been pretty calm, actually.' the blonde detective replied. 'A couple of new cases have come in, hopefully we'll be able to solve the soon enough.'

'I'm pretty sure you will, Dolph!' Bayley said.

'Thanks! And I know this sounds cheesy as hell, but rumors on the police station have it that Sandow has been dating somebody for a while.'

'Sandow, the coroner?' Kaitlyn asked in surprise. 'How the hell did he ever get a girl? That guy is more devoted to his work than to a relationship!'

Dolph shrugged. 'I guess some people are into persons who cut open dead bodies for a living...'

They briefly laughed. Sami glanced at the clock that was attached to the wall. It was almost twelve o'clock.

'Oh crap, is it that late already?' he said. 'Damn, we still have to go to work tomorrow! Sorry Dolph, but we have to leave.'

'It's okay, go ahead. But be careful on the way home, okay?'

'We will. Thanks for the dinner!'

Sami and Dolph shared a firm handshake while Bayley and Kaitlyn gave each other a friendly hug. The engaged couple left the apartment, walked down the stairs and exited the apartment complex. They got inside their car and drove away; in less than ten minutes, they arrived at their home.

Sami let out a loud yawn when he opened the front door of their apartment. 'I think I'm going to bed, Bayley.' he said. 'I'm freaking tired.'

'Yeah, me too. And I think someone else here can also get some sleep.'

Sami chuckled; he knew what she meant by that. The redhead kissed his fiancée on the forehead. 'You're right, I bet he or she is tired as well.' he said with a smile.

They brushed their teeth and changed their clothes. Bayley was the first one to enter their bed, Sami was the one who turned off the light; the room turned dark in the blink of an eye. The redhead got inside the bed.

'Good night!' Sami said while letting out a yawn. After saying that, he closed his eyes.

'Sleep tight!'

'Don't let the bedbugs bite!'

Bayley giggled. They were going to grow old together, she was sure of that. After a few minutes, the couple was sound asleep.

But it didn't last too long for Bayley.

After a few hours, she was woken up by a completely dry mouth. She tried to ignore it, but the drought in her mouth was too bad to ignore. She glanced at the green, bright numbers of the alarm clock on her nightstand. It was half past two in the evening. Trying to make as least noise as possible, she looked over her shoulder. Sami was still asleep; if she was careful enough, she wouldn't wake him up. Bayley slowly got out of the bed and walked on her tiptoes to the bedroom door. As carefully as possibly, she lowered the door handle. The door emitted a creak when she opened it, for a moment Bayley was afraid she had woken up her fiancé. She glanced over her shoulder; thank goodness, Sami was still sleeping. She snuck out of the bedroom and wanted to head to the kitchen to get a glass of water, but something halted her.

The baby room that was opposite of their own bedroom.

Bayley couldn't help but stare at it. With a dreamy smile on her face, she leaned around the door post and stared at the unfinished baby room. You couldn't see it now because it was dark, but Sami had spend all the free time he had on working on the room their baby would stay in. He was almost done with painting the walls, they both agreed the walls should be light yellow; it was the kind of color that fits with any baby room. The only thing they still needed was a crib, a wardrobe for the little clothes, some toys and a changing table. But the couple still had time to purchase all of this. Bayley hoped their child would like the room. She wondered how it would look like... Would it be a boy or a girl? Would he or she have Sami's red hair or her brunette hair? Or maybe a combination between the hair colors? He or she would have brown eyes for sure, since both the parents had brown eyes. Heck, maybe she could even have twins... Bayley chuckled at the thought.

The ponytailed woman walked through the hallway and headed towards the kitchen. The kitchen was right next to the living room, the only thing that kept them separated was waist-high mall. She had to turn on a light in order to see anything. Bayley turned on the light; the living room was immediately illuminated. She walked into the kitchen, opened the cupboard and grabbed a glass. She filled it with water from the tap and took a big gulp; the drought in her mouth immediately faded away.

'Ah... much better...' Bayley mumbled to herself after she drank all the water. She was sure Molly or Tristan would agree with that. She put the empty glass on the counter and got out of the kitchen, ready to go back to bed.

Suddenly, from the corner of her eye, she saw someone standing in the living room.

Bayley's heart skipped a beat as she stopped dead in her tracks. Letting out a loud gasp, her eyes widened in disbelief.

The Undertaker was standing in the living room, staring right at her.


	27. Forgiveness

**Chapter 27**

 **Forgiveness**

Completely frozen, Bayley stared back at the Undertaker. She searched for words to say, but couldn't find any.

'What is... What are you... Why...?' she stammered. She couldn't understand what was going on. Why was he here, after all this time? Why did he have to appear after she finally got her life back on track? Then her eyes found his; the emerald green eyes she swore she would resent for as long as she would live. The surprise made place for something she hoped she never thought she would feel again.

The same burning rage she felt that night when she and the demon parted ways. The surprise faded away almost immediately and was replaced with nothing more but anger.

'No no no no no!' the ponytailed woman mumbled, shaking her head. Her voice becoming more angry and louder by the second. 'This is not happening! What the hell do you think you are doing here? Get out of here, now!'

'Bayley...'

Hearing the demon speak out her name only angered her more. 'Get the hell out of my apartment, Undertaker!' she hissed angrily, glaring at him. 'You bastard! How dare you to show up! After everything you have done to me!'

Undertaker didn't reply to any of the furious words. He suddenly started to walk slowly towards the ponytailed woman.

'Stop talking for a moment and listen to me.' he said calmly.

'No! I'm done listening to you!' Bayley mentally prepared herself for a physical confrontation. Undertaker may have been taller and more muscled than her, but that didn't mean she was going to back down for him. This was the monster that killed her mother, she would punch and kick him with all the strength she had. When the demon was standing in front of her, she had already clenched her fists so tightly that her knuckles had colored white. The ponytailed woman was practically boiling with anger at this point.

But it looked like Undertaker could somehow read her mind.

'I understand how enraged you are, but for once, give me a chance to speak.' the demon said. 'There is something I need to talk about with you.'

Bayley opened her mouth to say something but quickly shut it. Yes, she was ready to strike a punch at any moment, but much to her own disgust, she had to agree with one thing that Undertaker had said so far. She hadn't given him a chance to speak after she had found out about the horrible truth, she was too enraged to let him talk. All the trust she had in the demon had disappeared like the last bit of snow on a sidewalk in the lukewarm temperature of the early spring, she was convinced that every word he would speak was a lie.

Fine.

She would allow him to talk, but only for once. After that, he would have to leave and stay out of her life forever.

Still glaring at Undertaker, Bayley nodded. 'Alright then.' she said with a clipped tone in her voice. 'But when you're done, you leave me alone and never come back, do you understand?' The ponytailed woman did consider at first to wake up Sami, but quickly discarded the idea. Her fiancé shouldn't get involved into this. This was something between her and the Undertaker.

'Very well.' Undertaker said. Finally, after all this time, she was giving him a chance.

Bayley at least had the politeness to gesture to the couch, gesturing the demon to go sit down. He understood what she meant, walked towards the couch and sat down. The ponytailed woman followed him and sat down next to him, but her glare wasn't leaving him for a moment.

'Right.' she said. 'Speak up.'

Undertaker stared at the floor for a brief moment, as if he was considering of what he was going to say next. For a moment, Bayley wanted to say that if he found it too hard to speak then it would be better for him to leave, but she didn't say anything.

'I came here to bid you farewell, Bayley.' Undertaker spoke.

'What?' the ponytailed woman said, frowning in confusion. 'Why? You show up only after six months to say goodbye, why would you do that now? Besides... I'm pretty sure we did that already at the cemetery.'

'You don't understand. This might very well be the last time we will be able to see each other.' Undertaker paused for a little moment, looking Bayley straight in the eyes. It were those warm, kind, brown eyes that had made his loneliness more bearable. This human, this young woman, had said words to him that no demon, let alone a human, had ever spoken to him. She had offered him kindness and friendship... and it was all that which he had so coldly rebuffed that night on the cemetery. When he met Bayley for the first time, he was convinced himself that this would only be a brief alliance; as soon as Viktor and Konnor would be defeated, it would cease to exist and she would be send home. That's how he saw this friendship, as an alliance... because Undertaker had never experienced such thing as friendship before. That was until she came along and offered it to him. Even though he had lived in the mansion alone for a very long time... it didn't feel the same anymore after Bayley had left.

'After we parted ways at the cemetery that night, I went back to the Demon Realm to live my own life, just like you did.' Undertaker said. 'I have spend all that time in loneliness, I was convinced that isolation was indeed what I deserved after what I have done to you.'

Bayley nodded, the glare still not leaving the demon. He was damn right about that.

'But it didn't last long before a new threat would arrive to eclipse the danger that Konnor and Viktor were. This demon has a very notorious reputation in the Demon Realm, Bayley. I have seen him a few times whenever the Tournament would occur and he is dangerous without a doubt. This demon... he is twisted, sadistic; he enjoys playing the sickest mind games on his victims. But above all, he knows how to talk fellow demons into following him. I have seen how many followers that bastard has, he is growing in power. He might be one of the most powerful demons in the Demon Realm, something which Konnor and Viktor yearned to be all time long, but failed to make that desire come true. However, he has one thing in common with them; he is ignorant to the fact that there is no honor in defeating someone who has already lost everything. But he is too proud to see that. And that's why he send one of his followers to me to announce that he challenges me to a fight. A fight where defeat would result into an immediate death. But if it's a fight he wants... then he will get it. I have been training all this time for this and now I believe that I'm ready for it. However, there might be a chance that I might not survive it after all... That's why I came to the Mortal Realm to see you, Bayley. I have been searching for you for a while, but I'm pleased that I have finally found you.'

For a moment, it was completely quiet in the living room.

Bayley's glare softened. 'Is... this true?' she asked.

Undertaker nodded. 'I have already hurt you in the worst way possible, why would I hurt you more? Bayley, I do not ask for forgiveness for what I have done to your mother, you can resent me still if you want... but at least I got to see you again. Seeing you makes it all more bearable.'

How many times on those lonely nights in the mansion did he yearn for her company? Undertaker had lost count by now. Playing piano in the ballroom had always soothed him, but now knowing that Bayley would never come back anymore, it didn't do anything to ease the nearly unbearable loneliness. He had tried to ignore his longing for her, but as time went on, it became too strong to ignore. Every time when Undertaker remembered how her arms wrapped around his waist to pull him in for a warm hug, he felt something that came close to... love.

Bayley noticed something thanks to something she had learned to develop during this time; he wasn't lying to her. It was impossible. She slowly felt a part of her rage fading away.

'Out of people...' she softly said. 'No matter how much I resent you... it was me you wanted to see. But why?'

Because he has nobody else, she suddenly realized. The realization struck her like one of the bolts of lightning Undertaker was able to fire from his fists.

'Because... You were the only one to ever show me kindness and friendship.'

The ponytailed woman had no idea what to feel. Should she still be bitter towards him after what he had done to her mother? Something like that was unforgivable... but why was she on the verge of doing so? Why was she almost willing to let all the rage and resentment go? She hated him so much, he knew that, and yet he wanted to see her. Judging from what he said earlier, there was a huge chance he would be killed in the fight against that mysterious demon. And yet here he was, willing to spend one of his possibly last moments with her.

'I... don't know what to say...' Bayley stammered.

'You don't have to say anything if you don't wish to.' Undertaker said.

'I do want do, but... good God, Undertaker... After everything I said to you at the cemetery, you still want to go see me, even if it's maybe the last thing you will do. It just feels so... God, I don't know how to describe it.'

Bayley could feel tears welling up in her eyes. 'You killed my mother... I don't think I will ever forgive you for that, and yet...' She let out a trembling sigh, unable to finish her sentence. She could feel the old friendship she had once felt for Undertaker rise again, nearly clouding over the bitterness, but she couldn't allow that. This was the man who murdered her mother, for God's sake!

But now that she knew he wasn't lying to her, she wanted to ask him that question. That one question that had been bothering her for so long.

'Why did you do it?' Bayley asked. 'Why did you kill my mother eighteen years ago?'

Finally... now he could tell her the truth.

'You see Bayley... you could say that your mother and I had... history together. I knew her ever since she was a young woman, just like you.'

Bayley blinked her eyes in surprise; a few teardrops managed to spill over her lower eyelids. 'What?'

'There might be a chance that she had never told you when you were still a child, but your mother was once a professional demon hunter. Ever since the age of twenty, she had made it her life goal to take down all demons that were a threat to humanity. For many years, she hunted them down, one by one. There were some occasions where she almost died while doing her work. I was one of the demons she considered a threat, but on some moments, we worked together as allies in order to take down stronger demons. She once saved the Mortal Realm from being merged with the Demon Realm, Bayley. But as years passed by, she longed for a normal life. She gave up her profession to marry a man she had known for all these years; your father. Your mother had everything she wanted, but there was one thing missing. A child. But unfortunately for her, she was infertile. That's when she called out to me. She explained her problem and I agreed to help her. I was able to turn a part of her life force into fertility so she could have a child, but there was a catch. If this would happen, her lifespan would be decreased. But your mother was unmoved by that; she was willing to spend the last time she would have with her child. And so it happened. I turned a part of her life force into fertility and nine months later, you were born, Bayley.'

Bayley thought she was going to faint, but she retained her consciousness. Why did her mother never tell her about this? Was she perhaps she would scare her daughter if she told her? Then a realization struck her once more.

'So that's why she fell ill all of a sudden...' she whispered in awe. 'It was because of that...!'

Undertaker nodded. 'Yes. You know that Viktor and Konnor fed on the life forces of young virgins to become stronger. There are many demons who consume the life force of a specific person for their own strength or even their health, and I am one of them. I feed on the life force of people who are dying, I can sense it if someone nearby is about to die. On that night, I sensed the same thing and followed my senses... only to be guided to your mother. She didn't feel any fear, though. She allowed me to consume her life force. She told me that she was satisfied with the time she had, at least she was able to watch you grow. Bayley, believe me when I tell you this... Your mother was a strong, brave woman. I have always respected those traits of her. And I can see she has clearly passed that on to her daughter.'

Despite the tears that were running down her cheeks now, Bayley managed to crack a smile.

'Damn...' she said. 'So it's actually because of you that I exist... it's so crazy to think about that.'

She looked at Undertaker. Slowly, the picture of the coldblooded monster she had disappeared into shreds, along with the hate and resentment she had for him for all this time. That's when she did something she thought she would never do again.

'Undertaker...'

The ponytailed woman stood up and gestured to the demon to get up from the couch as well. And once he did that... she wrapped his arms around his waist, hugging him tightly. Undertaker thought his heart was skipping a beat.

'I forgive you...' Bayley whispered. 'I will never forget what you have done, but still... I forgive you.'

This is what he had longed for all those lonely nights... Undertaker couldn't believe this was happening. He put his hands on Bayley's back, pulling her slightly closer to him. Bayley's wet cheeks stained the leather of his long black coat as she nuzzled her cheeks against his chest.

'Please be careful when you go into that fight...' the ponytailed woman said, looking up. 'I don't want you to die...!'

'I can't promise you that, Bayley... but I will fight with everything I have.'

If he would defeat and kill the demon, there might be a huge chance Undertaker could redeem his reputation. But he was not only going to fight for that.

He would also fight for her.

The demon moved his hands away from the ponytailed woman's back. 'The time for me to leave has come.' he said.

'Will you come back?'

'If I survive the fight, then yes.'

Undertaker turned around, facing away from Bayley. Suddenly, a low humming noise filled the living room and a large portal appeared in the middle of the room. Purple electricity was seen crackling inside the darkness. The demon slowly walked towards it, ready to travel back to his home world. But before he could enter, he turned around and looked at Bayley.

'Take good care of yourself, Bayley.' he spoke. 'Stay strong and be brave. I believe you can do that.'

The ponytailed woman. 'I hope I can pass that on to my child, just like my mom did.' She put her hand on her belly, making it perfectly clear about what she meant. Undertaker understood it.

'You mean... you're with child?'

'Yes, for a month already. Sami is the father.'

A rare sight happened. Undertaker gave Bayley a very small smile. It was small, but sincere. 'That child is blessed with a wonderful mother... Goodbye, Bayley.'

'Goodbye, Undertaker... And please remember; you will always have me as your friend.'

'Thank you. I really appreciate that... friend.'

With his heart finally at peace and knowing that their friendship had been rekindled, Undertaker turned around and stepped through the portal, disappearing in the combination of lightning and darkness. Now he was more than ready for the fight that was awaiting him. As soon as he had disappeared into the portal, it faded away until it was completely gone, not leaving a single trace.

Bayley stood there with tears staining her face. But she didn't feel saddened at all; she felt relieved. Just like Undertaker's heart, hers too was at peace. There was no more bitterness or resentment, only the friendliness. She knew the truth behind her mother; now that she knew that, she could go on with her life without any more questions. She believed in Undertaker, she knew he could defeat that demon.

'Bayley?' a familiar voice said.

Sami emerged from the dark hallway with a confused look on his face. 'I heard this strange noise coming from the living room and I noticed you were gone... What happened here? Hey... Are you alright? Have you been crying?'

Bayley smiled from ear to ear and wiped the tears off her cheeks. She nodded. 'Yeah, I'm alright, Sami.'

The ponytailed woman walked towards her fiancé and wrapped her arms around his waist, hugging him. She rested her cheeks against his shoulder and let out a soft, happy sigh.

'Everything is alright now.'

 **And that my friends was 'Into The Darkness'! Thank you all so much for reading, faving, following and reviewing it! I have always wanted to write a fanfic with the supernatural genre, so I had a blast writing this. Unfortunately I won't be able to write any more fanfics for a while because of an upcoming job, but I'm happy I was able to finish this in time. Once again, thank you all so much! See you next time!**


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